inexact
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of inexact
Explanation
Something inexact is vague or not quite correct. If a doctor gives you an inexact diagnosis, you might want to see a specialist for a more specific opinion. When a poem's translation from one language to another is inexact, a lot of the original meaning can be lost. Some things, like weather prediction, simply have to be inexact — you could call meteorology, or the study of weather patterns, an "inexact science." The Latin root is exactus, "precise or accurate," with the added prefix in-, or "not."
Vocabulary lists containing inexact
Way Off: Synonyms for "Wrong"
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Wrong
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It’s an inexact parallel, if it’s any kind of parallel at all.
From Salon • May 3, 2026
“Assessing social and emotional dimensions of growth is an inexact science. We could assess all 4-year-olds, but we might not be measuring the right thing.”
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 5, 2026
Quantifying bot and spam accounts on Twitter was always an inexact science, which Musk seized on when he tried to concoct a way out of his deal.
From Slate • Oct. 27, 2023
While the findings account for inflation, WMO cautioned that estimating the economic toll can be an inexact science, and the reports could understate the actual damage.
From Seattle Times • May 22, 2023
Their intelligence about the organization was often inexact.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
