precisely
adverb
pre·cise·ly
pri-ˈsīs-lē 
1
: in a precise manner : exactly
weighing ingredients precisely
This incremental adjustment is continued until the bubble is precisely centered.—
Barry F. Kavanagh
—often used to emphasize the precision of something (such as a measurement, time, description, etc.)Barry F. KavanaghThe sample weighed precisely 6 ounces.
We arrived at precisely two o'clock.
She always knows precisely what to do.
He was popular precisely because he was so kind.
She always woke at eight precisely.—P. G. Wodehouse
P. G. WodehouseIt is precisely to counter this sort of "negative advertising" that the garbage industry has lately been working hard to change its image.—Elizabeth Royte
Elizabeth Royte2
: quite so
—used to confirm emphatically that what has been said or suggested is exactly correct
"So you think the system is outdated?" "Precisely."
Examples of precisely in a Sentence
I feel precisely the same way as you do.
measured the length of the board precisely
Recent Examples on the Web
His unit was almost deployed to Afghanistan in 2001, then in 2005 it was deployed to Iraq: more precisely, to Falluja, then one of the deadliest zones of the conflict.
—Dina Litovsky, New York Times, 19 May 2025
The idea was seen as an impossibility, Xu said, because scientists hadn’t yet figured out a way to precisely target a treatment area to control the process of cavitation.
—Kristen Jordan Shamus, USA Today, 19 May 2025
What precisely causes these slides can differ, the team explains, but slope streaks tend to show up more often near fresh impact craters.
—Victoria Corless, Space.com, 19 May 2025
Clarity begins with defining your niche so precisely that your name naturally comes to mind when people think of a particular concept.
—John Knotts, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for precisely
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Dina Litovsky, New York Times, 19 May 2025
The idea was seen as an impossibility, Xu said, because scientists hadn’t yet figured out a way to precisely target a treatment area to control the process of cavitation.
—Kristen Jordan Shamus, USA Today, 19 May 2025
What precisely causes these slides can differ, the team explains, but slope streaks tend to show up more often near fresh impact craters.
—Victoria Corless, Space.com, 19 May 2025
Clarity begins with defining your niche so precisely that your name naturally comes to mind when people think of a particular concept.
—John Knotts, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for precisely
Cite this Entry
“Precisely.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/precisely. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
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