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"So you think the system is outdated?"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

• 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

Just as a right-handed glove cannot fit a left hand or how a key precisely fits a lock, interactions between molecules often depend on chirality, and living systems need consistent patterns of chirality to function properly. —Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2025

Cutting flowers from your garden comes down to cutting at precisely the right time of day for the best results. —Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 17 Oct. 2025

These sensors were precisely angled to prepare for the construction of a large neutrino observatory in the deep South China Sea. —Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2025

No flashback nor confession reveals precisely what happened between Maggie and Hank. —Barry Levitt, Time, 17 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for precisely

• concisely
• nicely