exactly
Americanadverb
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in an exact manner; precisely; accurately.
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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
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in every respect; just
it is exactly what I want
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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.
Sterling, who had been visiting his brother in Dallas, knew exactly what he had to do.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026
All this variance and randomness, all these rules on top of regulations, none of it is exactly arbitrary, but neither is it fair.
From Los Angeles Times • May 27, 2026
Colbert also spent much of the episode openly mocking Paramount and CBS in ways that strongly suggested they were not exactly thrilled with the project.
From Salon • May 27, 2026
Just when everyone thinks the momentum trade is here to stay forever is exactly when the smart investor thinks again—especially with tech stocks.
From Barron's • May 26, 2026
The course is forty-five minutes away, but there’s no traffic at six a.m. on a summer Saturday, so we arrive exactly as early as I wanted to arrive.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
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.
