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Synonyms

inaccurate

American  
[in-ak-yer-it] / ɪnˈæk yər ɪt /

adjective

  1. not accurate; incorrect or untrue.

    Synonyms:
    faulty, wrong, erroneous, loose, inexact
inaccurate British  
/ ɪnˈækjʊrɪt /

adjective

  1. not accurate; imprecise, inexact, or erroneous

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

What does inaccurate mean? Inaccurate describes something that is incorrect, false, or not quite right, as in I came home at 9:30 last night, so saying I was out all night is inaccurate. Inaccurate is the opposite of accurate, which describes something being free of defects or errors. You might describe a scale is inaccurate if it doesn’t show the precise weight of something. Inaccurate can also describe something that is wrong or untrue. You could claim that the lie your brother told about you is inaccurate, especially if there’s a bit of truth in what he said but overall it’s wrong. Example: The results of the test were inaccurate, but they can be used to improve the next one.

Other Word Forms

  • inaccurately adverb
  • inaccurateness noun

Etymology

Origin of inaccurate

First recorded in 1730–40; in- 3 + accurate

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.

SoFi called those claims “factually inaccurate and misleading” and said it would consider legal action against Muddy Waters.

From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026

Election experts, voting rights advocates, local elections officials and other California leaders have all dismissed those claims as unfounded and inaccurate.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026

He wants to see proof that the DOJ was given inaccurate information by ICE before he lets its lawyers off the hook.

From Slate • Mar. 27, 2026

These would be "a small number of conventionally-armed ballistic missiles over well-defended airspace... and they're quite inaccurate at very long ranges".

From BBC • Mar. 23, 2026

Many of the news articles published hastily that day were inaccurate.

From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow

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.