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"So you think the system is outdated?"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

• due
• exactly
• full
• just
• right
• sharp
• smack-dab
• squarely

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

Yet the lifespans of Europeans and Americans lengthened in the nineteenth century precisely because swaths of prairie were planted with wheat and hundreds of millions of cattle, pigs, and poultry could be killed for meat in industrial facilities. —Michael Albertus, Foreign Affairs, 24 June 2025

And to date, the Republican majority, which has subpoena power, which has the ability to move bills to the floor, which has the ability to hold administration officials in contempt, has shown precisely zero interest in doing that. —Michel Martin, NPR, 24 June 2025

For a sizable contingent of Trump’s base, getting rid foreign labor is precisely the point. —Irina Ivanova, Fortune, 22 June 2025

The new factory is staffed by a combination of humans and robots; the latter will be tasked with moving robotaxis down the assembly line and precisely applying adhesive to the vehicles' surfaces. —New Atlas, 20 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for precisely

• concisely
• nicely