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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
The key to a successful vacation is packing the correct pieces for your destination, and that list should always start with comfortable footwear. Rachel Trujillo, Travel + Leisure, 20 June 2025 But Woodin conjectured that the first option — that V is nicely structured, with a definable tower of cardinals — is correct. Gregory Barber, Quanta Magazine, 20 June 2025
Verb
However, some of Trump's EOs are simply issued to correct or pause previous orders. Meredith Kile, People.com, 18 June 2025 For now, the technology’s flaws are readily detected and corrected. Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 18 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for correct
Recent Examples of Synonyms for correct
Adjective
  • Bottom line: Even when data show that generative AI is more accurate, patients still want to talk with a human when facing complex or life-threatening decisions.
    Robert Pearl, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025
  • But even if Trump’s characterization turns out to be accurate, the destruction of Iran’s nuclear facilities may not mean the end of the Iranian nuclear threat.
    Matthew Chance, CNN Money, 23 June 2025
Adjective
  • The potential disasters of treating art like traditional investments far outweigh the cost of proper planning.
    Matthew F. Erskine, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
  • Eggs themselves are not a source of collagen—but the egg white specifically contains proline and glycine, two essential amino acids for proper collagen production.
    Alessandra Signorelli, Vogue, 1 July 2025
Adjective
  • Pioneer’s formal notice comes after the practice was revealed by Daniel Swift, a principal at the global tax consulting firm Ryan that represents a number of commercial property owners in Boston, and reported on this month by the Herald.
    Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 25 June 2025
  • And on Tuesday, a day before his confirmation hearing, a whistleblower filed a formal complaint alleging Bove planned to knowingly defy court orders and withhold information from judges about the administration's deportation agenda.
    Carrie Johnson, NPR, 25 June 2025
Verb
  • Answer: There is no cash award large enough to amend for the harm done to the people wrongfully incarcerated, their families and their communities.
    Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 24 June 2025
  • But a provision tucked inside the Senate Republican bill to enact President Trump's second-term agenda would force the USPS to sell off the brand new trucks and cancel or significantly amend the contract for the remaining 58,800 that are due to be delivered over the next 10 years.
    Tracy J. Wholf June 24, CBS News, 24 June 2025
Verb
  • The changes to the federal health care programs, particularly Medicaid, were always expected to become a centerpiece of the GOP package, a way to offset the costs of providing tax breaks for millions of Americans.
    Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 26 June 2025
  • This can then be offset against matching or contrasting clothes.
    Laia Farran Graves, Forbes.com, 26 June 2025
Verb
  • Road America punishes hesitation and rewards nerve, making every session breathtaking.
    Jenny Catlin, New York Times, 20 June 2025
  • Despite having felt Morales’ power in the first fight, Pacquiao pressured the Mexican legend, punished him, and eventually broke him down in the 10th.
    Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 18 June 2025
Adjective
  • Natural Rugs Not all natural fibers belong in nature, and that is especially true of popular rug materials like jute and sisal.
    Nicole Letts, Southern Living, 20 June 2025
  • But while the South gets most of the spotlight, the true magic lies further away.
    Jim Dobson, Forbes.com, 20 June 2025
Adjective
  • Padilla ordinarily is a very polite guy, extraordinary civil — calm, soft-spoken, the opposite of an aggressive loudmouth.
    George Skelton, Mercury News, 18 June 2025
  • Gentle readers often ask Miss Manners how to respond to questions put to them for which there does not appear to be any polite answer.
    Judith Martin, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Correct.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/correct. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.

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