exact 1 of 2

Definition of exactnext
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as in precise
being neither more nor less than a certain amount, number, or extent the exact number of passengers on that airplane was 147

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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exact

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verb

1
as in to demand
to ask for (something) earnestly or with authority every war inevitably exacts the greatest sacrifice possible from some of the nation's best and brightest

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
3
as in to extort
to get (as money) by the use of force or threats that loan shark can be counted upon to exact repayment of his loan by whatever means necessary

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How is the word exact different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of exact are accurate, correct, nice, precise, and right. While all these words mean "conforming to fact, standard, or truth," exact stresses a very strict agreement with fact, standard, or truth.

exact measurements

In what contexts can accurate take the place of exact?

The synonyms accurate and exact are sometimes interchangeable, but accurate implies fidelity to fact or truth attained by exercise of care.

an accurate description

When could correct be used to replace exact?

In some situations, the words correct and exact are roughly equivalent. However, correct usually implies freedom from fault or error.

correct answers
socially correct dress

When would nice be a good substitute for exact?

The words nice and exact can be used in similar contexts, but nice stresses great precision and delicacy of adjustment or discrimination.

makes nice distinctions

How do precise and exact relate to one another?

Precise adds to exact an emphasis on sharpness of definition or delimitation.

precise calibration

How are the words right and correct related as synonyms of exact?

Right is close to correct but has a stronger positive emphasis on conformity to fact or truth rather than mere absence of error or fault.

the right thing to do

How is the word exact different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of exact are accurate, correct, nice, precise, and right. While all these words mean "conforming to fact, standard, or truth," exact stresses a very strict agreement with fact, standard, or truth.

exact measurements

In what contexts can accurate take the place of exact?

The synonyms accurate and exact are sometimes interchangeable, but accurate implies fidelity to fact or truth attained by exercise of care.

an accurate description

When could correct be used to replace exact?

In some situations, the words correct and exact are roughly equivalent. However, correct usually implies freedom from fault or error.

correct answers
socially correct dress

When would nice be a good substitute for exact?

The words nice and exact can be used in similar contexts, but nice stresses great precision and delicacy of adjustment or discrimination.

makes nice distinctions

How do precise and exact relate to one another?

Precise adds to exact an emphasis on sharpness of definition or delimitation.

precise calibration

How are the words right and correct related as synonyms of exact?

Right is close to correct but has a stronger positive emphasis on conformity to fact or truth rather than mere absence of error or fault.

the right thing to do

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of exact
Adjective
Some think that's not soon enough and want an exact date on the books. Frankie McLister, CBS News, 29 Mar. 2026 The artist’s exact age has also not been confirmed, although various reports put him in the 55-57 age range. Katie Bain, Billboard, 29 Mar. 2026
Verb
The special tax zone, which is exlusive to the property, will exact a property tax on future homeowners and buisnesses to fund the creation and maintenance of future roads, sewers and water utilities across the development. Samuel O’Neal 30, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Mar. 2026 In any context, everyone is justified in resisting or repelling any invasion of their person or property, extracting restitution or exacting punishment in response to an invasion, or helping someone else do the same. Connor Okeeffe, Oc Register, 29 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for exact
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exact
Adjective
  • Most restaurants correct violations at the time of the original inspection or shortly after.
    Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 2 Apr. 2026
  • The correct spreadsheet was never found.
    Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • Courts, attorneys and institutions need clinicians who can translate behavioral health histories into something more precise than a diagnosis and more useful than a stereotype.
    Sonia Singh, Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2026
  • For the Orion module, this push is a lot more precise and requires propulsion from the module's main engine to send the astronauts on their way to the far side of the moon.
    Briana Alvarado, ABC News, 2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • Prices were accurate at the time of publication but may change.
    Cody Godwin, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2026
  • Hedrick also won a Fiesta Bowl, in 2014, and was hailed as one of the most accurate passers in the nation.
    Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • Another camera, an eye tuned to the subtle strangeness of an otherwise ordinary day—someone or something, somewhere, must have caught a glimmer of the truth.
    Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2026
  • Vice President Vance, who is considered an isolationist, expressed private skepticism ahead of the attacks, and his relative silence during the first weeks of the war was perceived as a subtle way of distancing himself from the conflict.
    Jonathan Lemire, The Atlantic, 1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
  • What is emerging is a picture of an artist of profound mathematical acuity, who mobilized geometric, sequential, and modular forms to test hypotheses on interrelation, regeneration, and evolution in pursuit of mystical revelation.
    Katherine Rochester, Artforum, 1 Apr. 2026
  • Their season is all but over — mathematical elimination from playoff contention coming as early as Thursday with a regulation loss — but there’s still no quit in the team.
    Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 1 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Snuffing them out demanded excellence.
    Troy Renck, Denver Post, 5 Apr. 2026
  • Addressing screens in school demands a greater sense of urgency.
    Abby McCloskey, Boston Herald, 5 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • The state’s elder protection law, Section 415 of the Florida Statutes, allows adult protection workers to impose their own judgment on elders’ cases and place clients without court supervision.
    Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2026
  • This means union officials cannot impose contract provisions that require workers to pay money to the union as a condition of getting or keeping a job, according to the foundation.
    Chase Jordan April 2, Charlotte Observer, 2 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • The scam operations typically involve bogus investment schemes and feigned romances that collectively extort tens of billions of dollars from victims around the world every year.
    ABC News, ABC News, 30 Mar. 2026
  • The hackers behind the botnets then sold access to cybercriminals, resulting in hundreds of thousands of DDoS attacks that could also try to extort victims.
    Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 20 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Exact.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exact. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.

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