imprecise
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of imprecise
Explanation
If you’re being imprecise, you’re not being exact. If you try to draw a perfect circle with your eyes closed, your drawing will probably be imprecise. One field where imprecise measurements can turn out to be troublesome is cooking. If you add an imprecise amount of flour into pizza dough, you will either get a crumbly, floury mess that won't stick together, or a big, gooey glob of dough that you can't roll out into a flat crust. Either way, your pizza will not turn out very well, and you might want to remeasure or order from the local pizza place!
Vocabulary lists containing imprecise
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Way Off: Synonyms for "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.
Imprecise weather forecasting and spotty emergency alerts due to limited cellular and internet access in rural Kentucky meant that Thies and many others were wholly unprepared for the historic flood.
From Salon • Apr. 17, 2023
Imprecise wording and unconstitutional aspects frustrated the two previous attempts to get the law enacted.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 9, 2022
Imprecise labeling of some of her memberships led to headlines about her padding her résumé.
From New York Times • Sep. 7, 2021
Imprecise ear oximeters were also developed during World War II to warn military pilots of oxygen deprivation.
From Washington Post • May 3, 2020
Imprecise as it may be—a whole bureaucracy interprets and updates a set of rules in order to determine what is and is not appropriate on Twitter—you can’t deny the rhetorical usefulness of simply @-ing Jack.
From Slate • Aug. 10, 2018
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.
