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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

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

I’m sure she knows the exact science of it.

From "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon

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