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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.

Determining the points at which past Fed chairs became lame ducks is not an exact science, needless to say.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 19, 2026

The problem is that tax withholding isn’t an exact science, and it doesn’t account for all of the latest tax law changes or fluctuating factors, such as freelance income, investment income and charitable donations.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 25, 2026

However, making these decisions is far from an exact science and there’s no way to guarantee that an indicator in past elections will hold true in future elections.

From Salon • Sep. 16, 2024

Working out the ages of the Tsimanes is not an exact science, however.

From BBC • Aug. 17, 2024

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