exactly

[ig-zakt-lee]

adverb

1. in an exact manner; precisely; accurately.

2. in every respect; just.

   He will do exactly what he wants.

3. quite so; that's right.

exactly

/ ɪɡˈzæktlɪ /

adverb

1. in an exact manner; accurately or precisely

2. in every respect; just

   it is exactly what I want

3. ironic,  not at all; by no means

1. just so! precisely!

Word History and Origins

Origin of exactly¹

First recorded in 1525–35; exact + -ly

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. not exactly,

   1. in no way; not at all.

      It’s not exactly funny, is it?

   2. not completely so, but nearly so.

      The burgers are not exactly raw, but they need more cooking.

   3. (as an ironic response) no.

      “Is that the jacket you ordered?” “Not exactly.”

Example Sentences

Mr Moore says he is planning to celebrate the new discovery but has yet to decide exactly how.

Read more on BBC

If there is no striking price exactly 50 points lower, then use the nearest strike.

Read more on MarketWatch

Both sides keep running into an intrinsic limit: Everything expires after exactly 29 minutes, exploding into digital ash in a process euphemistically called de-resolution.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

But another is exactly how he set the fire.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Plenty of things in our lives work without us needing to know exactly how.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• absolutely 
• altogether 
• carefully 
• completely 
• correctly www.thesaurus.com
• definitely 
• explicitly 
• indeed 
• literally 
• precisely 
• quite 
• specifically 
• strictly 
• totally 
• truly