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"So you think the system is outdated?"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."
Synonyms
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
First, precisely measuring the energy-momentum tensor would require much higher collision energies than Jefferson Lab can produce.
—Charlie Wood, WIRED, 14 Apr. 2024
If this wasn’t already too sweet, certainly the addition of a cheap liqueur and a sugar rim would push it over the edge into over-sweet and artificial, and for decades, nearly every Lemon Drop served was precisely that.
—Jason O'Bryan, Robb Report, 13 Apr. 2024
Yet that’s precisely why Karpovych’s vision makes such a strong impact.
—Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 12 Apr. 2024
In the prints, shapes that were intended to be precisely corner to corner don’t quite touch, or overlap by half a millimetre.
—Jackson Arn, The New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2024
Landing a left tackle and center of the future would do precisely that.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024
Conspiracy theories are difficult to debunk precisely because a thrilling story is more cognitively compelling than no story.
—Brian Klaas, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2024
This is precisely why competitors, including General Motors, are pivoting to add hybrid options to their lineup.
—Detroit Free Press, 3 Apr. 2024
Yet the freedom of religion in the First Amendment was put there precisely as a guard against religious tyranny.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 3 Apr. 2024
Charlie Wood, WIRED, 14 Apr. 2024
If this wasn’t already too sweet, certainly the addition of a cheap liqueur and a sugar rim would push it over the edge into over-sweet and artificial, and for decades, nearly every Lemon Drop served was precisely that.
—Jason O'Bryan, Robb Report, 13 Apr. 2024
Yet that’s precisely why Karpovych’s vision makes such a strong impact.
—Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 12 Apr. 2024
In the prints, shapes that were intended to be precisely corner to corner don’t quite touch, or overlap by half a millimetre.
—Jackson Arn, The New Yorker, 12 Apr. 2024
Landing a left tackle and center of the future would do precisely that.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024
Conspiracy theories are difficult to debunk precisely because a thrilling story is more cognitively compelling than no story.
—Brian Klaas, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2024
This is precisely why competitors, including General Motors, are pivoting to add hybrid options to their lineup.
—Detroit Free Press, 3 Apr. 2024
Yet the freedom of religion in the First Amendment was put there precisely as a guard against religious tyranny.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 3 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'precisely.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near precisely
Cite this Entry
“Precisely.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/precisely. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
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