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Who wrote, "In all pointed sentences, some degree of accuracy must be sacrificed for conciseness"?

accuracy

American  
[ak-yer-uh-see] / ˈæk jər ə si /

noun

  • accuracies
    plural
  1. An image of the word accuracy as defined by the condition or quality of being true, correct, or exact; freedom from error or defect; precision or exactness; correctness.

    the condition or quality of being true, correct, or exact; freedom from error or defect; precision or exactness; correctness.

  2. Chemistry, Physics. the extent to which a given measurement agrees with the standard value for that measurement.

  3. Mathematics. the degree of correctness of a quantity, expression, etc.


accuracy British  
/ ˈækjʊrəsɪ /

noun

  1. faithful measurement or representation of the truth; correctness; precision

  2. physics chem the degree of agreement between a measured or computed value of a physical quantity and the standard or accepted value for that quantity

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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Derived Forms

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Nouns

Etymology

Origin of accuracy

First recorded in 1655–65; accur(ate) + -acy

Explanation

Accuracy refers to a lack of mistakes or errors. "I type very fast, but the accuracy of my typing is n't very goode." Accuracy is a must for anyone who works in a precise profession. Would you trust a surgeon who lacks accuracy to remove your appendix? His lack of precision might result in the accidental removal of your spleen. A meteorologist with questionable accuracy isn't going to be popular either, especially when it rains every time he predicts a sunny day.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing accuracy

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.

See Examples For:

And with master cinematographer Sven Nykvist’s alert, unhurried close-ups, we have ample time to consider the accuracy of Alma’s analysis.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

"But a rating agency is judged on independence and accuracy, not where it sits. If it will not downgrade an African sovereign, markets will treat it as advocacy," he told AFP.

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

His footwork did for a defender, his accuracy did for a goalkeeper.

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026

Also like the previous report, Nardello & Co. said it could not verify the accuracy of information provided to the court because privacy rules prevented access to the underlying data.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

Some of the women were capable of lightning- fast mental math, rivaling their mechanical calculating machines for speed and accuracy.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly

Still, though, the ALA's reliance on media accounts and reports from librarians remains a confounding variable in the numerical accuracies, as the body has previously noted.

From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2024

This outperformed other methods, both shallow and deep learning, which had accuracies below 80%.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 20, 2023

“That report was not completely accurate but there’s some accuracies in it,” said Jayna Hefford, a four-time Olympic gold medalist for Canada who is the PWHPA’s lead operations consultant.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 9, 2023

Let the D.C. curriculum reflect the historical accuracies, including the murder — the Holocaust — of millions, particularly Jews, during World War II.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 19, 2023

The Comtist replies that the task is philosophic; and is not to be judged by the minute accuracies of science.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 7 "Columbus" to "Condottiere" by Various

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