Word.ws English Dictionary

back-of-the-envelope

Syllables: back of the en·vel·opeUK/ˌbæk‿əv ðiː ˈɛnvələʊp/US/ˌbæk‿əv ði ˈɛnvəˌloʊp/

back-of-the-envelope adjective: especially of a calculation, estimation, or other reasoning, or an idea: approximate, rough, simplified.

Adjective

back-of-the-envelope

  1. (idiomatic, informal) Especially of a calculation, estimation, or other reasoning, or an idea: approximate, rough, simplified.
    • We can do some back-of-the-envelope calculations before all the facts come in.
    • [T]he original estimates are frequently back-of-the-envelope-type estimates made internally without detailed engineering studies, if you go all the way back to Day 1.1964 February 20, Edgar M[aurice] Cortright, witness, “Statement of Edgar M. Cortright, Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Science and Applications, NASA; Accompanied by Dr. John F. Clark...

Examples of back-of-the-envelope in a sentence

  • We joke about having to make back-of-the-envelope calculations, while in the university environment we might spend 2 or 3 weeks computerizing the calculations.1966 March 17, Arthur M[elvin] Okun, witness, “Council of Economic Advisers: Salaries and Expenses”, in Departments of Treasury and Post...
  • This back-of-the-envelope design was five years ahead of its time.2010, David G. Thomson, quoting Pradeep Sindhu, Mastering the 7 Essentials of High-Growth Companies: Effective Lessons to Grow Your...

Synonyms of back-of-the-envelope

Forms of back-of-the-envelope

alternative formback-of-an-envelope

Origin of back-of-the-envelope

A reference to a calculation or an idea that occurs to one being jotted down on an available scrap of paper, such as the back of an envelope.

Questions about back-of-the-envelope

What does back-of-the-envelope mean?
Back-of-the-envelope means especially of a calculation, estimation, or other reasoning, or an idea: approximate, rough, simplified.
How do you use back-of-the-envelope in a sentence?
We joke about having to make back-of-the-envelope calculations, while in the university environment we might spend 2 or 3 weeks computerizing the calculations.
What part of speech is back-of-the-envelope?
Back-of-the-envelope is an adjective.
How do you pronounce back-of-the-envelope?
Back-of-the-envelope is pronounced /ˌbæk‿əv ðiː ˈɛnvələʊp/ (UK).

Words near back-of-the-envelope in the dictionary

  1. back-houses
  2. back-matter
  3. back-ne
  4. back-of-a-fag-packet
  5. back-of-an-envelope
  6. back-of-the-envelope
  7. back-of-the-fag-packet
  8. back-of-the-napkin
  9. back-overman
  10. back-overmen
  11. back-pad

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: back-of-the-envelope (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-au-back-of-the-envelope.ogg.

Cite this entry: “back-of-the-envelope.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/back-of-the-envelope. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.