precisely
Britishadverb
Explanation
The adverb precisely describes something done with complete accuracy or perfection. When you speak precisely, you pronounce each word completely and clearly — and you say exactly what you mean. Something that's done precisely is done with great care, the way you'd set the table according to your grandmother's demands, precisely following her instructions about where knives and forks should go. You can also use precisely to tell about an exact time, like meeting a friend under the big clock at precisely 12:30. On its own, precisely can substitute for yes or exactly.
Vocabulary lists containing precisely
"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 20–25
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Words to Know Before You Defrost the Bird
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Vocabulary from "Community is the 'killer app' missing from virtual reality" by Dmitri Williams
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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.
Fortunately, my colleague Matt Rutledge has updated earlier research to answer precisely that question.
From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026
This was, in fact, almost precisely what he said when he first arrived in L.A.
From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026
Using an AI tool called Tessera, which analyses detailed images of the UK gathered from space, experts can precisely determine locations of hedgehog habitats - and where these are disappearing.
From BBC • May 18, 2026
"By capturing the faint light emitted by this filament, which traveled for just under 12 billion years to reach Earth, we were able to precisely characterize its shape," explains Davide Tornotti.
From Science Daily • May 16, 2026
It was precisely the third time he’d erupted through the door and the third time, he was certain, that Gingersnipes would shriek and spill something and demand he quit doing that.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
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.
