Less-than And Not Approximate Symbol
⪉ denotes “less-than and not approximately equal” in mathematical notation.
U+2A89
The symbol ⪉ is a math operator used to express a strict comparison combined with a “not approximate” condition. It’s useful in technical writing, proofs, and formatting where approximate comparisons must be ruled out.
Less-than And Not Approximate Symbol Meaning
⪉ is the Unicode character named “LESS-THAN AND NOT APPROXIMATE” (U+2A89). It represents a relationship meaning the left value is strictly less than the right value, while also indicating that the two values are not in an approximate sense. This makes ⪉ different from basic < and different from symbols that express approximations. In practice, you may see it in formal math text, equation layouts, and typeset documents where authors need to rule out “about equal” interpretations while still stating a strict inequality.
Common uses
- •Mathematical proofs where an exact strict inequality is required and approximation is not allowed
- •Technical documentation to clarify that one quantity is definitively smaller and not “about equal” to another
- •Equation writing in notes and textbooks when distinguishing strict vs. approximate comparisons
- •Creating or editing LaTeX/MathML-style notation in documents and technical posts
- •User interface labels or status text in educational tools that describe precise inequality logic
Examples
⪉ Less-than and Not Approximate
- ⪉We have ⪉ 5.0, so the bound is strict and not approximate.
- ⪉The sequence satisfies x ⪉ y under the given constraints.
- ⪉Because a ⪉ b, we exclude cases where a is approximately b.
- ⪉In the proof, replace “<” with ⪉ to emphasize “not approximately equal.”
- ⪉If n ⪉ 100, then n is strictly smaller and not within an approximation.
Variations
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Technical codes
| Unicode | U+2A89 | |
| HTML Entity | ⪉ | |
| HTML Code | ⪉ | |
| CSS | \2A89 |
FAQ
How do I type or paste ⪉ (U+2A89)?
You can copy it directly from this page. In many systems you can also insert it using the Unicode code point U+2A89.
What does ⪉ mean compared to the normal “<” symbol?
“<” states strict inequality. ⪉ additionally specifies “not approximately equal,” meaning you should not interpret the values as an approximation of each other.
Where is ⪉ commonly used?
It’s used in math notation for strict comparisons where approximation must be explicitly excluded, such as in proofs, textbooks, and technical writing.
What are the HTML, CSS, and JavaScript encodings for ⪉?
HTML entity: ⪉ CSS escape: \\2A89. JavaScript escape: \\u{2A89}.