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"So you think the system is outdated?"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

But that attitude — allowing the perfect to be the enemy of the good — has been precisely Tottenham’s problem over the years. — Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 12 Aug. 2026

There is no methodology which precisely calculates this number, but good trial attorneys can usually get within the ballpark based on their past experiences with similar cases. — Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2026

The curiosity surrounding this kind of institution today stems precisely from the question of how such a school can still exist. — Roberto Prieto, Variety, 11 Aug. 2026

That is precisely the kind of print Medaugh spent more than half his life pursuing. — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 11 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for precisely

• concisely
• nicely