accurately
Americanadverb
-
in a way that is free from error or defect and consistent with a standard, rule, or model.
She worked on aircraft before they left on missions; the work needed to be done fast and accurately to ensure safety on all flights.
-
correctly; precisely.
He’s a good lacrosse player; he passes well and can shoot accurately.
Humans are generally afraid of death—or, more accurately, don't want to die.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of accurately
Explanation
Anything done accurately is done correctly or with very few mistakes. Many things should be performed accurately, especially brain surgery. When you're accurate, you're precise: you get things right. To do something accurately is to do it in a precise, correct, careful manner. A baseball player with a good batting average hits the ball accurately. An accountant who never makes mistakes juggles the numbers accurately. If you got 100 on a test, you performed accurately. The opposite of this word is inaccurately, which means you did something wrong, incorrectly, or with a lot of mistakes.
Vocabulary lists containing accurately
Chapter 2: The Age of Exploration, Lessons 1–3
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -ly
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Chapter 22: The Progressive Era
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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.
“The post-financial crisis narrative of a persistent housing shortage may no longer accurately describe market conditions over the decades ahead,” the researchers wrote.
From Barron's • Jun. 28, 2026
Because chemical signals weaken as they travel, researchers have long wondered how cells located deep within a growing brain can accurately determine where they are.
From Science Daily • Jun. 25, 2026
But maybe that was simply too normal, too accurately descriptive to be written by a gay guy.
From Salon • Jun. 18, 2026
But while the service had made overall progress, the inspectors said there should be improvements in reporting restraint accurately, as well as ensuring alternative options had been explored.
From BBC • Jun. 17, 2026
Or, more accurately, rumor because there was never any official report.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
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.
