exact 1 of 2

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as in precise
being neither more nor less than a certain amount, number, or extent the exact number of passengers on that airplane was 147

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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exact

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verb

1
as in to demand
to ask for (something) earnestly or with authority every war inevitably exacts the greatest sacrifice possible from some of the nation's best and brightest

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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3
as in to extort
to get (as money) by the use of force or threats that loan shark can be counted upon to exact repayment of his loan by whatever means necessary

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How is the word exact different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of exact are accurate, correct, nice, precise, and right. While all these words mean "conforming to fact, standard, or truth," exact stresses a very strict agreement with fact, standard, or truth.

exact measurements

In what contexts can accurate take the place of exact?

The synonyms accurate and exact are sometimes interchangeable, but accurate implies fidelity to fact or truth attained by exercise of care.

an accurate description

When could correct be used to replace exact?

In some situations, the words correct and exact are roughly equivalent. However, correct usually implies freedom from fault or error.

correct answers
socially correct dress

When would nice be a good substitute for exact?

The words nice and exact can be used in similar contexts, but nice stresses great precision and delicacy of adjustment or discrimination.

makes nice distinctions

How do precise and exact relate to one another?

Precise adds to exact an emphasis on sharpness of definition or delimitation.

precise calibration

How are the words right and correct related as synonyms of exact?

Right is close to correct but has a stronger positive emphasis on conformity to fact or truth rather than mere absence of error or fault.

the right thing to do

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of exact
Adjective
The exact distance will depend on the launch date. Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 13 Oct. 2025 While the jury is out on the exact cause of Harry Potter’s enduring popularity, Beach and Willner highlight an important point in its favor. JSTOR Daily, 12 Oct. 2025
Verb
Now savvy travelers can use the brand’s exacting standards to discover extraordinary stays, following the unveiling of the first set of global Michelin Key hotels at a ceremony in Paris on October 8. Rachel Chang, AFAR Media, 10 Oct. 2025 Dams and water diversions became engines of patronage, enriching insiders, killing rivers and exacting a terrible cost from rural communities. Nik Kowsar, Time, 2 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for exact
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exact
Adjective
  • However, a few unexplained puzzles remained, leading scientists to question whether the most extreme predictions of the Big Bang, including arbitrarily high temperatures and an origin from a singularity, were actually correct.
    Big Think, Big Think, 14 Oct. 2025
  • Jones is correct, Dak Prescott is on pace for an MVP-caliber season with 1,617 passing yards, 13 touchdowns, and three interceptions thus far.
    James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The director wrenches apart Ibsen’s terse and precise mechanism and makes room for a proliferation of arresting moments—caught on the wing in wide-screen images, thanks to Sean Bobbitt’s cinematography—that balance tragedy and horror with excitement and wonder.
    Richard Brody, New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2025
  • Almost none of the refugees had been permitted to read or write on the plantation, and thus the precise nuance of their feelings is lost to time.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Backdrop cofounder and creative director Natalie Ebel said that description sounds pretty accurate.
    Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 14 Oct. 2025
  • The original film, which is spoken in Aramaic, Hebrew and Latin to create a more historically accurate and immersive experience, followed the final 12 hours before the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
    Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • While accent walls can still highlight a feature or add subtle drama, McKenzie encourages rethinking the concept altogether.
    Shivani Vyas, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Oct. 2025
  • These hallways are so dark that my eyes had to adjust to make out the rust-red carpet and the subtle room numbers on the floors.
    Hannah Walhout, Travel + Leisure, 18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Aghion and Howitt used sophisticated mathematical models to tease out answers.
    Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 19 Oct. 2025
  • For decades, biologists have been building mathematical models of cellular processes.
    Veronique Greenwood, Time, 14 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • At concerts, screaming fans began to demand that D’Angelo strip, some even throwing money on stage.
    Vann R. Newkirk II, The Atlantic, 18 Oct. 2025
  • The prosecutor demanded a high cash bond as a result of the serious nature of the charges.
    Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 18 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Comey received a slight boost in his case to plead his innocence earlier this week when a judge rejected federal prosecutors’ effort to impose broad restrictions on the evidence Comey can access ahead of trial.
    Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 18 Oct. 2025
  • The latest food shortage in Gaza began in March, when Israel ended a ceasefire and imposed a blockade on all aid that lasted eleven weeks.
    Clayton Dalton, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Nearly a billion records were stolen across dozens of organizations, and now cybercriminals are extorting victims by threatening to publish the data unless hefty ransoms are paid.
    Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Federal prosecutors who allege that Suffolk Sheriff Steven Tompkins extorted a Boston cannabis company are requesting the court to consider whether the defense counsel’s representation poses a conflict of interest in the case.
    Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 16 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Exact.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exact. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.

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