adjective
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faithfully representing or describing the truth
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showing a negligible or permissible deviation from a standard
an accurate ruler
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without error; precise; meticulous
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maths
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(to n significant digits) representing the first n digits of the given number starting with the first nonzero digit, but approximating to the nearest digit in the final position
since π = 3.14159…, the approximation 3.1416 is accurate to 5 significant digits.
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(to n decimal places) giving the first n digits after the decimal point without further approximation
π = 3.1415 is in this sense accurate to 4 decimal places
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Related Words
See correct.
Other Word Forms
- accurately adverb
- accurateness noun
- hyperaccurate adjective
- hyperaccurateness noun
- superaccurate adjective
- superaccurateness noun
- unaccurate adjective
- unaccurateness noun
Etymology
Origin of accurate
First recorded in 1605–15; from Latin accūrātus “carefully prepared” (past participle of accūrāre ), equivalent to ac- ac- + cūr(a) “care” + -ātus -ate 1
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.
Lennar also says that the accounting treatment of its land-light strategy has been transparent and accurate.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026
They were officers dispatched by a concerned counselor who misinterpreted his factually accurate answer as a statement of intent.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026
Programmes like the nationwide rural jobs guarantee, for instance, depend on an accurate sense of which areas are still "rural" - a category that may have shifted significantly over 15 years.
From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026
Friends and family may offer well-meaning suggestions, but their advice isn’t always accurate — and even when it is, it may not suit your financial needs.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 30, 2026
This didn’t matter too much if you were using the telescope to identify a ship at sea, but it was a major bugbear for the accurate work required in astronomy.
From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin
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.
