Meaning & use
numerical order
Last updated
Meaning
phrasefixed phrase
an arrangement of items according to their numbers, from smallest to largest or first to last.
Grammar: Usually used after 'in': in numerical order.
Patterns
- in numerical order
- put something in numerical order
- arrange something in numerical order
Please file these invoices in numerical order.
The teacher asked us to line up in numerical order according to our student numbers.
The pages of the report were not in numerical order, so it was hard to follow.
Common combinations
- in numerical order
- The books on the shelf are arranged in numerical order.
- put something in numerical order
- Can you put these receipts in numerical order?
- sort in numerical order
- The spreadsheet can sort the data in numerical order.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sequential order
- Similar, but can also mean order by time or steps, not only by numbers.
- ascending order
- Specifically from smallest to largest; numerical order can also be descending.
Opposites
Commonly confused: numerical order or chronological order?
numerical order vs chronological order
Chronological order is arranged by time, while numerical order is arranged by number.
Practice
The files were arranged ______ numerical order, starting with 001.
Choose one answer.
The fixed phrase is 'in numerical order'. 'By' might seem possible, but 'in' is the standard preposition for this arrangement.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “numerical order”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.