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Definition of correctnext
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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
The researchers also found that AI’s strength in flagging cancerous lesions didn’t carry over to naming the correct diagnosis among many possibilities. — Leslie Baumann, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026 To form memories, other sensory inputs have to make a stop in the part of the middle brain that basically directs them to the correct place called the thalamus. — Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 22 Oct. 2026
Verb
If a suspicious sample directly reduces a model’s reward, the model could learn to hide its behavior instead of correcting it. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 29 Oct. 2026 Pritchett called for trustees to repay any money owed, settle outstanding taxes and correct the organization’s financial accounts if necessary. — Anna Tingley, Variety, 29 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for correct
Recent Examples of Synonyms for correct
Adjective
  • An accurate travel insurance comparison accounts for multiple factors.
    — Matt Richardson, CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026
  • The database was developed using portions of a commercially available version of California’s voter rolls that the government acknowledged might not be entirely accurate.
    — Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 2 Nov. 2026
Adjective
  • Any function whose work can be pointed at a proper model of its underlying business, instead of at a general-purpose language model, is starting to compound the same way Anthropic’s engineering did a year ago.
    — Stephen Messer, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Pentecostal parents Ruth and Marius were accused of domestic violence, with worldwide protests criticizing what dissenters called harsh and hasty steps taken by Norwegian social workers without proper evidence.
    — Tomris Laffly, Time, 23 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • His death comes in the third week of IDHW’s formal monitoring of the 2026-27 flu season.
    — Mark Dee, Idaho Statesman, 24 Oct. 2026
  • OutKick had attended all 13 formal press conferences during the first three Finals games without being called on.
    — Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Under a state law passed in 2024 and amended this year, outdoor advertising companies can remove up to 500 feet of vegetation blocking drivers and onlookers from viewing their signs.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Meta appears to have amended the commercial terms to address publishers' concerns.
    — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 28 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • The cuts were partially offset by new hiring and the reinstatement of some workers.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 30 Oct. 2026
  • But fact-checkers and health analysts have been clear that this temporary infusion of funds, spread out over five years, doesn’t offset the $137 billion in permanent cuts projected to hit rural areas over the same decade.
    — Rachel Cohen Booth, Vox, 30 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Against the backdrop of legal disputes involving Kiffin, LSU and the SEC, the LSU coach suggested the league office may have viewed the scheduling decision as an opportunity to punish him.
    — Chantz Martin OutKick, FOXNews.com, 29 Oct. 2026
  • For gaining independence, it was harshly punished financially.
    — Elisa Turner, Miami Herald, 29 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • For her, the recognition is a way to show people how to stay true to their art.
    — Julyssa Lopez, Rolling Stone, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Not only were the stories never proven true, but also at least one student later admitted to lying.
    — Jordana Rosenfeld, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • Internal data as a moat is a polite way of locking yourself in.
    — Stephen Messer, Fortune, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Louella’s prose was brief, polite, and devastatingly coded; her readers learned to interpret her tone as carefully as her text.
    — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 27 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Correct.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/correct. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026.

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