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.
"Many of those demonstrating fled from precisely the same issues now being denounced in the public square," Minxhozi said.
From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026
Over-the-top doesn’t begin to describe Alice’s feelings of betrayal or her escalating attempts to break up the couple and punish Steve for his betrayal, which is precisely what drew Walker to the project.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026
Columbia University associate professor Dieter Egli says his group has precisely edited genes in an embryo, a landmark scientific move that is highly controversial.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 6, 2026
At precisely the right time, Shankland is playing the football of his life.
From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026
Then, in the spring of 2005, he had identified, before any other investor, precisely which tragedy was most likely to occur, when he made a large, explicit bet against subprime mortgage bonds.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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.
