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Definition of correctnext
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correct

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verb

Synonym Chooser

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

Some common synonyms of correct are accurate, exact, nice, precise, and right. While all these words mean "conforming to fact, standard, or truth," correct usually implies freedom from fault or error.

correct answers
socially correct dress

When could accurate be used to replace correct?

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

an accurate description

When can exact be used instead of correct?

The words exact and correct are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, exact stresses a very strict agreement with fact, standard, or truth.

exact measurements

Where would nice be a reasonable alternative to correct?

While in some cases nearly identical to correct, nice stresses great precision and delicacy of adjustment or discrimination.

makes nice distinctions

How do precise and exact relate to one another, in the sense of correct?

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

precise calibration

How are the words right and correct related?

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 correct
Adjective
My Roald Dahl is a broken clock who is correct twice a day. Vulture Editors, Vulture, 8 June 2026 Yes, there’s plenty of time to course-correct. Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 June 2026
Verb
Authorities initially identified him as Somali before later correcting his nationality to Sudanese. Bradford Betz, FOXNews.com, 10 June 2026 Some were permanently dismissed due to statute of limitations or legal insufficiency, while others were temporary on legal grounds, meaning Pines' lawyers can attempt to correct them. Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 9 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for correct
Recent Examples of Synonyms for correct
Adjective
  • If blue-and-red jerseys and Chicago ballcaps are an accurate barometer, Cubs fans ruled — by a lot.
    Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 11 June 2026
  • Prices were accurate at the time of publication but may change.
    Greta Cross, USA Today, 10 June 2026
Adjective
  • For various reasons, none of us had managed a proper vacation that summer.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 June 2026
  • Potential asylum seekers had no proper access to legal advice and some people were held for weeks, much longer than the three days that the law allowed.
    Nicole Winfield, Fortune, 11 June 2026
Adjective
  • According to the editors, both of these books embody the company’s ethos by modeling formal ambition, emotional depth, and a willingness to engage difficult questions.
    Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 11 June 2026
  • The service The service is formal, but friendly and attentive, and the concierge showed an enthusiastic passion for the city that created moments for interest and exploration beyond the Guggenheim.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 June 2026
Verb
  • Prosecutors in Canyon County are asking to amend the felony charge against a Meridian woman accused of causing the death of a family friend for allegedly driving drunk over the weekend.
    Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 11 June 2026
  • The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is amending its list of permissible sunscreen ingredients for the first time in more than 25 years.
    Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 11 June 2026
Verb
  • In 2022, the Canadian government doubled the credit for six months to help offset the rise in inflation rates.
    Claudia Sahm, Twin Cities, 7 Dec. 2025
  • Russell Westbrook had 12 points, 10 rebounds and three steals to offset six turnovers.
    Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 7 Dec. 2025
Verb
  • Curry granted the young man a preliminary injunction that prevents NCAA brass from punishing Sorsby for violating — again, repeatedly — its rules on sports betting.
    Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 10 June 2026
  • Mothers who reported were punished.
    Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 10 June 2026
Adjective
  • Any young actor in this business knows the hardest part is just getting in the door — actually, that’s not true, the hardest part is sustaining a long career.
    Scott Feinberg, HollywoodReporter, 16 June 2026
  • This is certainly true—and a rather banal truism.
    The Atlantic, The Atlantic, 16 June 2026
Adjective
  • But the short stay stretched into a month, and the once-polite guest turned rude, demanding and increasingly hostile, according to Vanity Fair.
    Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 14 June 2026
  • Camacho explained that police officers may come into communities in a way that is friendly, polite and well-intentioned, but without knowledge of the history of how the community and police have interacted in the past.
    Emilia Otte, Hartford Courant, 13 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Correct.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/correct. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.

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