accuracy

American  

[ak-yer-uh-see] / ˈæk jər ə si /

noun

• accuracies
  plural

1. 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.

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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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• hyperaccuracy
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• accuracies
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

accuracy accuracies

BBC Sport then found details of Baptiste's conviction in online court records, and the authorities confirmed their accuracy.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

Franklin said that pollsters with a track record are typically more trustworthy, as their future business and reputation relies on their accuracy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

France's Culture Minister Catherine Pegard paid tribute to Altmayer as a "producer with a keen eye, capable of bringing together popular comedy and auteur ambition with the same accuracy".

From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026

However, the accuracy of detectors is the subject of reasonable debate.

From Slate ● Aug. 18, 2026

When Tycho became more knowledgeable about astronomy, though, he realized that the accuracy with which men seemed to ‘know the positions of the stars’ was much less impressive than he had thought at first.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin

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

It has well been said: "The mistakes which make us men are better than the accuracies that keep us children."

From It Can Be Done Poems of Inspiration by Joseph Morris

Related Words

• certainty
• efficiency
• skill
• truthfulness
• veracity