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exact science

American

noun

a science, as chemistry or physics, that deals with quantitatively measurable phenomena of the material universe.

Etymology

Origin of exact science

First recorded in 1860–65

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.

To be sure, calculating real interest rates is not an exact science, since they are based on future inflation — and that is something we can only estimate.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 8, 2026

First, determining your risk tolerance isn’t an exact science.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026

“I think I’m confident because there’s no exact science on ramping up early and success, or being methodical and not participating to result in success during the season,” Roberts said.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 21, 2026

This is not an exact science, but the cumulation of data is what led to the conclusion reached by Stella and many others.

From BBC • Feb. 20, 2026

As you will gather from this, measuring earthquakes is not always an exact science, particularly when interpreting readings from remote locations.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023