📈 Extrapolate: So… the Period at the End of the Sentence Means They're Mad?
EXTRAPOLATE most nearly means: A) infer; B) placate; C) repudiate; D) calibrate. Answer inside. 👉️
To extrapolate is to figure out something from various clues, typically by looking at something small and drawing a more substantial conclusion from that.
As a Gen-Xer, honestly I’m a little bewildered by the rules of communication these days. Here are some rules related to texting that I’ve developed:
When texting someone my age or older, uses periods at the ends of my sentences to show adherence to grammar rules we learned in school.
If I’m texting Millennials, be sure to include one or two (but no more) exclamation marks to indicate excitement!
For the younger people, don’t be alarmed if they use all lowercase and no punctuation. This shows friendly casualness.
All this to say that people extrapolate a lot from punctuation and letter case.
📚️ Definition of Extrapolate
Extrapolate (verb): To estimate or conclude something unknown by extending known information or trends into a new area. Example: extrapolating future sales from past data.
🗣️ Pronunciation of Extrapolate
IPA: /ɪkˈstræp.ə.leɪt/ (See IPA key)
Phonetic: ihk-STRAP-uh-layt
📰 Examples of Extrapolate
Here are some examples of the word extrapolate:
When I saw that Little Nikki’s water Thermos was still on the counter after she had left for school, I was able to extrapolate that Dad had prepared lunch, and that bonus Mom had gotten sick overnight.
From a handful of data points, Dr. Nip was able to extrapolate a clear trend pointing towards possible obstructive sleep apnea.
Try not to extrapolate from just one bad visit to the city; I know you weren’t expecting to see dirty alleys and have ebikes whiz by you, but most areas are relatively safe and clean by US standards.
🗣️ Common Collocations of Extrapolate
A collocation is a group of words often found together in usage, for example figment of one’s imagination, extenuating circumstances, or inclement weather.
extrapolate from data
extrapolate a trend
dangerous to extrapolate
extrapolate future results
difficult to extrapolate
Quiz answer: A, infer.