Word.ws English Dictionary

proximate

UK/ˈpɹɒk.sɪ.mət/US/ˈpɹɑk.sə.mət/

proximate adjective: close or closest; adjacent.

Adjective

proximate (not comparable)

  1. Close or closest; adjacent.
    • And writing a Theory of the Deluge here, as we do, we were to exhibit a Series of causes whereby it might be made intelligible, or to shew^([sic]) the proximate Natural Causes of it; […]1681, Thomas Burnet, “The Deluge and Dissolution of the Earth”, in The Theory of the Earth, 3rd edition, London: R. N[orton], translation of Telluris Theoria Sacra, published 1697, page 73
    • […] the basis of a reformed constitution was laid, by the appointment of a grand council, consisting of all such citizens as could prove that their proximate ancestors had shared in the offices or honours of the state.1857, John Scandrett Harford, The Life of Michael Angelo Buonarroti, 2nd edition, London: Longman & Roberts, published 1858, page 154
    Synonyms:
    near
  2. Immediately preceding or following in a chain of causation.
    • The proximate cause of the damage must be established.
  3. About to take place; impending.
    Synonyms:
    imminent

Noun

proximate (plural proximates)

  1. A grammatical marker that distinguishes a relatively salient referent in a given context from a relatively non-salient (obviative) one.

proximate meaning in Tamil, Urdu, Bengali and Malayalam

proximate in Tamil

அண்மை

proximate in Urdu

تقریباً

proximate in Bengali

নিকটতম, প্রত্যক্ষ

proximate in Malayalam

ഏറ്റവും അടുത്ത, മുമ്പോ പിമ്പോ ഉള്ള, തൊട്ട് അടുത്തുള്ള
More languagesFewer languages
proximate in Kannada
ಹತ್ತಿರದ, ತೀರ ಸಮೀಪದ, ನಿಕಟತಮ, ಪಕ್ಕದ

Examples of proximate in a sentence

  • The 18–24 cohort shows a sharp increase in automobile fatalities over the proximate age groupings.
  • Creatures act freely and responsibly as the proximate causes of their own moral actions.
  • If God was the proximate cause of every act, all things would simply be “God in motion”.

All 11 example sentences with proximate

Synonyms of proximate

Antonyms

All synonyms and antonyms of proximate

Forms of proximate

pluralproximates

Origin of proximate

From Late Latin proximatus, past participle of proximare (“to draw near, approach”), from Latin proximus (“nearest”), superlative of prope (“near”).

Words formed from proximate

Phrases with proximate

Questions about proximate

What does proximate mean?
Proximate means close or closest; adjacent.
What is proximate in Tamil?
Proximate in Tamil is அண்மை. See Proximate meaning in Tamil.
What part of speech is proximate?
Proximate can be an adjective or a noun.
How do you pronounce proximate?
Proximate is pronounced /ˈpɹɒk.sɪ.mət/ (UK).

Words near proximate in the dictionary

  1. proximalized
  2. proximalizes
  3. proximalizing
  4. proximally
  5. proximalmost
  6. proximate
  7. proximate cause
  8. proximate causes
  9. proximate principle
  10. proximate principles
  11. proximately

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: proximate (page history and authors); proximate (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); proximate (Urdu Wiktionary) (page history and authors); proximate (Bengali Wiktionary) (page history and authors); proximate (Malayalam Wiktionary) (page history and authors); proximate (Kannada Wiktionary) (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.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-proximate.ogg.

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