exactly

[ ig-zakt-lee ]

adverb

1. in an exact manner; precisely; accurately.
2. in every respect; just:

   He will do exactly what he wants.

3. quite so; that's right.

exactly

/ ɪɡˈzæktlɪ /

adverb

1. in an exact manner; accurately or precisely
2. in every respect; just

   it is exactly what I want

3. not exactly ironic.
   not at all; by no means

sentence substitute

1. just so! precisely!

Word History and Origins

Origin of exactly¹

First recorded in 1525–35; exact + -ly

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. not exactly, Informal.
   1. in no way; not at all:

      It’s not exactly funny, is it?

   2. not completely so, but nearly so:

      The burgers are not exactly raw, but they need more cooking.

   3. (as an ironic response) no:

      “Is that the jacket you ordered?” “Not exactly.”

Example Sentences

There was a cluster of galaxies exactly between Firefly Sparkle and the JWST, which distorted spacetime to stretch the light from the faraway galaxy and effectively act as a gigantic magnifying glass.

From BBC

She, of all people, knows exactly what will happen to them if they do.

From Salon

And what exactly is supposed to be happening?

From Los Angeles Times

When I open Final Draft and I start working, I don’t know exactly where it’s going to go.

From Los Angeles Times

"They are in an unbelievable position to finish exactly where they wanted to finish before this campaign kicked off."

From BBC

Related Words

• absolutely
• altogether
• carefully
• completely
• correctly
• definitely
• explicitly
• indeed
• literally
• precisely
• quite
• specifically
• strictly
• totally
• truly