inaccurate
Americanadjective
adjective
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
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.
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
A State Department spokesperson said all bilateral relations fact sheets were archived and removed because most hadn’t been updated in more than two years, leaving them potentially outdated or inaccurate.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026
Dr Katherine Gilmore, a consultant in community gynaecology and sexual and reproductive healthcare at the South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust, says she sees patients "all the time" who have seen inaccurate information.
From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026
Rather than restate every one, scientists decided to keep the inaccurate constant.
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
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
