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.)

The 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

It is precisely to counter this sort of "negative advertising" that the garbage industry has lately been working hard to change its image.

—Elizabeth Royte

2

: 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"So you think the system is outdated?"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 of precisely

• just
• right
• exactly

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

What is beauty if not precisely the property that provokes us to abandon all pretense of analytic remove in our desperation to draw closer? —Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 7 Mar. 2026

Others are unique names that stand out from the crowd—and that might be precisely why the grandparents don't approve. —Sherri Gordon, Parents, 7 Mar. 2026

Instead, the additional observations have helped scientists determine its position in space more precisely. —Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 6 Mar. 2026

Some aim to achieve deep penetration, others to saturate a large area with submunitions, and still others to precisely target, say, a corner of a building. —Eliot A. Cohen, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for precisely

• concisely
• nicely