The Oxford Thesaurus An A-Z Dictionary of Synonyms - approximateadj.

1) rough, inexact, loose, imprecise, estimated, Colloq guestimated, ballpark: The figures are only approximate, not exact. --v. 2) near, approach, come close to, verge on: Your estimates approximate those of the budget committee. 3) resemble, approach, look or seem like; simulate: The laboratory tests on rats approximate the way the virus behaves in humans.