exactly
Americanadverb
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in an exact manner; precisely; accurately.
-
in every respect; just.
He will do exactly what he wants.
-
quite so; that's right.
idioms
adverb
-
in an exact manner; accurately or precisely
-
in every respect; just
it is exactly what I want
-
ironic not at all; by no means
Etymology
Origin of exactly
Explanation
Something exactly right is precisely, totally, completely right. This is a word with no fuzziness or wiggle room. Isn't it nice when you know exactly the right word for something? Well, exactly is a word for when you're talking about things that fit perfectly or are unquestionably correct. Ten plus ten is exactly twenty. There are exactly fifty states. An astronomer could tell you exactly how far away the moon is. Exactly is the opposite of approximately or roughly. If you don't know for sure what you're talking about, don't use the word exactly.
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.
Exactly how the whale ended up on an island off Denmark's East Jutland coast in the Kattegat strait is a mystery.
From BBC • May 20, 2026
“If it’s likely, then do some. Exactly how much? It’s hard to say.”
From MarketWatch • May 15, 2026
Exactly what, time will tell, but this final snippet comes after Season 4 and possibly before the start of Season 5.
From Los Angeles Times • May 5, 2026
Exactly how many shares are outstanding, and what Musk owns, isn’t clear yet.
From Barron's • Apr. 23, 2026
Exactly zero percent of those 1940 college graduates became engineers.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
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.
