exact
Americanadjective
-
strictly accurate or correct.
an exact likeness; an exact description.
- Antonyms:
- imprecise
-
precise, as opposed to approximate.
the exact sum; the exact date.
- Antonyms:
- imprecise
-
admitting of no deviation, as laws or discipline; strict or rigorous.
-
capable of the greatest precision.
exact instruments.
-
characterized by or using strict accuracy.
an exact thinker.
- Synonyms:
- scrupulous, demanding, punctilious, careful, methodical
-
Mathematics. (of a differential equation) noting that the collection of all terms, equated to zero, is an exact differential.
verb (used with object)
-
exacts,
present (3rd person singular)
-
exacted,
past participle, past
-
exacting
present participle
-
to call for, demand, or require.
to exact respect from one's children.
-
to force or compel the payment, yielding, or performance of.
to exact money; to exact tribute from a conquered people.
- Synonyms:
- wring
adjective
-
correct in every detail; strictly accurate
an exact copy
-
precise, as opposed to approximate; neither more nor less
the exact sum
-
(prenominal) specific; particular
this exact spot
-
operating with very great precision
exact instruments
-
allowing no deviation from a standard; rigorous; strict
an exact mind
-
based mainly on measurement and the formulation of laws, as opposed to description and classification
physics is an exact science
verb
-
to force or compel (payment or performance); extort
to exact tribute
-
to demand as a right; insist upon
to exact respect from one's employees
-
to call for or require
this work exacts careful effort
Synonym Usage
See extract.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
exacternoun
-
exactnessnoun
-
exactornoun
-
exactableadjective
-
nonexactableadjective
-
preexactadjective
-
quasi-exactadjective
-
unexactedadjective
-
quasi-exactlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
exactsimple
-
exactssimple
-
have exactedperfect
-
has exactedperfect
-
am exactingprogressive
-
are exactingprogressive
-
is exactingprogressive
-
have been exactingperfect progressive
-
has been exactingperfect progressive
Past
-
exactedsimple
-
had exactedperfect
-
was exactingprogressive
-
were exactingprogressive
-
had been exactingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of exact
First recorded in 1525–45; late Middle English exacten (verb), from Latin exāctus (past participle of exigere “drive out, thrust out”), equivalent to ex- ex- 1 + ag(ere) “to drive” + -tus past participle suffix
Explanation
If something's exact, it's precise and completely accurate — as opposed to a guess, an estimate, or an approximation. Exact also has the meaning of taking something from someone, often money, and generally only given up with reluctance under the threat of force. The Mob might exact a shakedown from unfortunate businessmen, for example. The word comes from the Latin exactus "exact or accurate," a form of the verb exigere — meaning "to force out or demand," like the Mob demanding its money.
Vocabulary lists containing exact
The Merchant of Venice
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Common Core Grade 5, List 7
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"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll, Chapters 1–3
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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.
See Examples For:
With around 2,000 index ETFs now available at the click of a button, Americans can buy and sell the exact baskets of stocks those fund managers use as a target.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
These sampling devices follow the swimmers' exact route while they are in the water, thereby providing accurate information.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
And the person next to you, a stranger, feels it too, at the exact same moment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
"This study offers a framework for understanding how different triggers can converge to cause the exact same profound clinical exhaustion."
From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 2026
Dad and Aunt Melissa reach the living room at the exact same time.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
That all-important cold chain exacts a cost from growers and distributors as well.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 18, 2026
Skating as much as Hughes does exacts a brutal toll, which is why it often looks like the Minnesota defenseman has an on/off switch.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 3, 2026
Realistic scenes of a contentious father-daughter relationship, the toll shame exacts on families and a portrait of ‘70s California make the “The Ghostwriter” a page-turning, rewarding read.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2025
The time it can take to get pregnant often exacts an emotional toll.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 5, 2024
Maybe Bastian exacts some final vendetta; maybe Frederick goes looking for his only way out.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
Well, there are numerous contemporaneous examples of reparation payments exacted by European states, so you tell me.
From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026
The report defines “forced labor” as “all work or service which is exacted from any person under the menace of any penalty for its nonperformance and for which the worker does not offer himself voluntarily.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 3, 2026
"Now more than ever it is imperative to avoid any escalation of a conflict that has already exacted a devastating toll on civilians and that risks making the search for peace even more distant."
From Barron's ● May 26, 2026
It is unclear if payments are being exacted under the new system.
From MarketWatch ● May 19, 2026
The Aztecs flourished culturally, economically, militarily, and politically, but they faced growing rebellion by the peoples from whom they exacted tribute.
From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
And if not, what would we actually do to stop the Islamic Republic’s rulers from exacting vengeance?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
“Interiors by Stewart-Gulrajani merge architecture and artistry with exacting precision. Vaulted open-beam ceilings, vast picture windows, and refined finishes infuse each room with air, light, and composure,” the description added.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026
Anderson’s score work is planned to exacting detail.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
"This action supports the welfare of American children by exacting real consequences for child support delinquency under existing federal law," the department said in a statement.
From BBC ● May 7, 2026
The circus functions in approximations more than exacting details.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
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.
