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"So you think the system is outdated?"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
Becerra, who is a slim-margin front-runner for governor, was the victim in this case — or more precisely, his state campaign bank account was, according to court documents.
—Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2026
Part of what has led us into this state of impasse is precisely the generations of confident, optimistic thinking that claims to have divined the future.
—Literary Hub, 14 May 2026
That’s precisely what Tilly Norwood creator Eline Van der Velden, CEO of AI company Particle6, urged actors to do in a Variety op-ed in January.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 14 May 2026
Right now, no one knows precisely how the Gulf’s ecosystems are faring amid the new conflict, Shokri says, although satellite imagery has shown several oil spills since attacks began earlier this year.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 14 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for precisely
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Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2026
Part of what has led us into this state of impasse is precisely the generations of confident, optimistic thinking that claims to have divined the future.
—Literary Hub, 14 May 2026
That’s precisely what Tilly Norwood creator Eline Van der Velden, CEO of AI company Particle6, urged actors to do in a Variety op-ed in January.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 14 May 2026
Right now, no one knows precisely how the Gulf’s ecosystems are faring amid the new conflict, Shokri says, although satellite imagery has shown several oil spills since attacks began earlier this year.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 14 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for precisely
Cite this Entry
“Precisely.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/precisely. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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