calculating
/'kælkjuleitiɳ/
Definition
- Adjective:
- Acting in a scheming and manipulative way: Describes a person who carefully plans actions to achieve personal advantage, often with a cold, selfish, or ruthless attitude.
- Making decisions based on careful, often cold, reasoning about benefits and consequences: Suggests a deliberate, unemotional, and self-interested approach to situations.
Usage
- The word "calculating" is used to describe a person's character or their specific behavior. It carries a strong negative connotation, implying cunning, a lack of warmth, and a focus on personal gain.
- It is typically used attributively (before a noun) or predicatively (after a linking verb like 'is' or 'seems').
Examples
- Adjective:
- She gave him a calculating look, sizing up his potential usefulness.
- His calculating nature made it difficult for anyone to trust him.
- The move was cold and calculating, designed to eliminate the competition.
Advanced Usage
- "In a calculating manner": This adverbial phrase describes how an action is performed.
- He invested his money in a calculating manner, focusing solely on the highest returns.
Variants and Related Words
- Calculate (verb): To determine mathematically or to plan deliberately.
- They needed to calculate the exact costs.
- Calculation (noun): The process of calculating; can also mean careful planning.
- His decision was based on cold calculation, not emotion.
- Calculated (adjective): Done with full awareness or intent, often with a similar negative implication as "calculating."
- It was a calculated risk. (This can be neutral or negative depending on context.)
Synonyms
- Scheming: Involved in making secret and often dishonest plans.
- Cunning: Skilled at achieving one's ends by deceit or evasion.
- Shrewd: Having or showing sharp powers of judgment, often in a practical, self-interested way (can be less negative than "calculating").
- Manipulative: Exercising unscrupulous control or influence over a person or situation.
Antonyms
- Spontaneous: Performed or occurring as a result of a sudden impulse.
- Genuine: Truly what something is said to be; authentic and sincere.
- Artless: Without guile or deception; natural and simple.
Related Phrases
- Cold and calculating: A common collocation emphasizing the emotional detachment and deliberate planning.
- The villain was portrayed as cold and calculating.
Adjective
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used of persons
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the most calculating and selfish men in the community
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