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"So you think the system is outdated?"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

One of those ideas is the magnetar, but that doesn’t fit precisely, due to ASKAP J1832’s bright and variable radio emissions. —Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 30 May 2025

That feels like precisely the sort of bet that a Canucks team in need of adding elite skill above all else this summer should consider strongly. —Harman Dayal, New York Times, 30 May 2025

Infrastructure improvements offer precisely this kind of concrete data point, particularly in the environmental dimension of ESG. Consider establishing a formal connection between your facility management team and sustainability officers. —Rhett Power, Forbes.com, 29 May 2025

That is precisely what the conservatives did last week; the dissenters were correct to call them out. —Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 29 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for precisely

• concisely
• nicely