The “dating qualifier” clue in the New York Times crossword (Feb. 13, 2026) is answered with CIRCA.

What “dating qualifier” means here

In crosswords, a dating qualifier is a word that modifies a date to show it’s approximate rather than exact.

  • CIRCA is used before a year (for example, “circa 1998”) to mean “around” or “approximately.”
  • That fits the clue perfectly: it’s a single word that qualifies how precise the date is.

Quick context for this specific NYT clue

  • The clue “Dating qualifier” appeared in the New York Times crossword for February 13, 2026.
  • The confirmed solution is the 5‑letter entry CIRCA.

TL;DR: If you’re looking up the NYT crossword answer for “dating qualifier,” the entry you want is CIRCA.

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