exactly

adverb

ex·act·ly | \ ig-ˈzak-(t)lē

How to pronounce exactly (audio)

\

Definition of exactly

1a : in a manner or measure or to a degree or number that strictly conforms to a fact or condition it's exactly 3 o'clock these two pieces are exactly the same size

b : in every respect : altogether, entirely that was exactly the wrong thing to do not exactly what I had in mind

2 : quite so —used to express agreement

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about exactly

Keep scrolling for more

Examples of exactly in a Sentence

The levers need to be exactly positioned. we will meet at exactly six o'clock

Recent Examples on the Web

The integrated cores are exactly the same as in the prior generation, and most noteworthy for their hardware support for the 4K HEVC/VP9 video codecs used by Netflix and YouTube. — Mark Hachman, PCWorld, "Intel's 9th-gen mobile Core chips aim for the high end, rocking 8 cores at up to 5GHz speeds," 23 Apr. 2019 Apparently, Jackson comes from a long line of Daly men who all look exactly the same. — Kelly O'sullivan, Country Living, "'The Voice' Host Carson Daly's Son Looks Exactly Like Him," 23 Dec. 2018 How does all of this relate back to fashion, exactly? — Emily Farra, Vogue, "What Is All of This Packaging Doing to the Planet? These Companies Have a Few (Surprisingly Luxe) Ideas for Solving the Problem," 24 Apr. 2019 Zara might've made one version of it, but this minimalist sandal style isn't exactly unique to the brand. — Glamour, "This Is The One Sandal Everyone Will Be Wearing This Summer," 24 Apr. 2019 Experts aren’t sure of exactly how these excess androgens can affect ovulation. — Mary Claire Lagroue, SELF, "Can Diet and Exercise Actually Improve PCOS Symptoms?," 23 Apr. 2019 The corner stone of the cathedral was laid in a ceremony attended by King Louis VII and Pope Alexander III in the spring of 1163 (April 25, by some accounts, exactly 846 years ago next week). — Klara Glowczewska, Town & Country, "Notre Dame Cathedral Will Never Be the Same—and That's Ok," 19 Apr. 2019 This was another Guardiola season going exactly according to Guardiola’s plan. ... — Joshua Robinson, WSJ, "How Pep Guardiola Lost Control of the Champions League," 18 Apr. 2019 So showing exactly where their furniture comes from? — Hadley Keller, House Beautiful, "This Startup Furniture Company Makes It So Easy to Customize Your Own Sofa," 16 Apr. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'exactly.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about exactly

Dictionary Entries near exactly

Statistics for exactly

Last Updated

12 May 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for exactly

The first known use of exactly was in 1612

See more words from the same year

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for exactly

exactly

adverb

English Language Learners Definition of exactly

—used to stress that something is accurate, complete, or correct

: in a correct or precise way : in a way that agrees completely with what is needed

: in every way

See the full definition for exactly in the English Language Learners Dictionary

Keep scrolling for more

WORD OF THE DAY

scavenger

one that collects or salvages junk

Test Your Vocabulary

Time Traveler Quiz: Which Word Came First?

Which came first?

sarcastic snarky

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

TAKE THE QUIZ

SCRABBLE® Sprint

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ