The phrase "loose estimate" is correct and usable in written English.
It is used to describe an estimation that is approximate or generalized rather than precise or definite. For example, "The report gave a loose estimate of the population size, but no reliable figures were available."
Loose estimates say €100 billion ($128 billion) a year.
The civilian death toll in Iraq -- 125,000 -- and the number of Saddam's security forces killed in invasion -- 10,000 -- are loose estimates.
The UNHCR, the UN's refugee agency, cautioned that its figures for those still risking sickness and starvation at sea were loose estimates.
This design strategy might seem appealing as a pilot study where budget is more limited and looser estimates are acceptable.
However, it is too loose to estimate the actual value of the ergodic sum rates.
In these cases, the lowest non-zero FDR value was listed as an (often loose) upper-bound estimate for the likely true FDR.
The relaxation characteristic length (ξ Tg)) of the microgel particle, the soft matrix, the SAN nanoparticle, and the interfacial loose layer were estimated to be 2.24 nm, 2.55 nm, 2.2 nm, and 2.66 nm, respectively.
In a population study of 10,578 Swedish twin pairs, the heritability of self-reported diagnosis with chronic periodontitis or presence of loose teeth was estimated to be 39%and33%3% for women and men, respectively (Mucci et al. 2005).
Last year, the National Emergency Number Association came up with a number, $340 million, but experts with the association caution that the estimate is loose because counties vary so much in size and existing equipment.
The parameter surface roughness is based on wind tunnel measurements on similar surfaces, the area of loose sediment cover was estimated from photos; crust strengths and initial amount of erodible material were estimated by assuming analogies with surfaces in semi-arid regions.
