precise
Americanadjective
-
definitely or strictly stated, defined, or fixed.
precise directions.
- Synonyms:
- explicit
- Antonyms:
- vague, indefinite
-
being exactly that and neither more nor less.
a precise temperature;
a precise amount.
-
being just that and no other.
the precise dress she had wanted.
-
definite or exact in statement, as a person.
-
carefully distinct.
precise articulation.
-
exact in measuring, recording, etc..
a precise instrument.
-
excessively or rigidly particular.
precise observance of regulations;
precise grooming.
adjective
-
strictly correct in amount or value
a precise sum
-
designating a certain thing and no other; particular
this precise location
-
using or operating with total accuracy
precise instruments
-
strict in observance of rules, standards, etc
a precise mind
Related Words
See correct.
Other Word Forms
- overprecise adjective
- overprecisely adverb
- overpreciseness noun
- precisely adverb
- preciseness noun
- superprecise adjective
- superprecisely adverb
- superpreciseness noun
- ultraprecise adjective
- unprecise adjective
- unprecisely adverb
- unpreciseness noun
Etymology
Origin of precise
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin praecīsus “curtailed, brief,” originally past participle of praecīdere “to cut off, cut short,” equivalent to prae- pre- + -cīdere, combining form of caedere “to cut”
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.
While this was a major step forward, making the system useful for precise measurements required solving a major challenge shared by all lasers: noise.
From Science Daily
One important method involves DNA strand displacement, a biochemical process that enables precise programming of movement using specific DNA sequences labeled as "fuel" and "structure."
From Science Daily
The interior ministry statement said in a statement translated from Arabic: "Security forces immediately launched an operation to apprehend the perpetrators, acting on precise intelligence and through intensive field operations, tracking the kidnappers' movements."
From BBC
It adds gentle richness and, crucially, a plush but defined crumb — one that feels almost cushioned, yet precise.
From Salon
The glass replicas of flowers are so delicate and precise that the narrator sees them “as organic one instant and as artificial the next.”
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.
