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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
If Burberry is correct, then this would be remarkable foresight from Dante. Keith Cooper, Space.com, 11 May 2026 Sadly, those warnings proved mostly correct, as was all too clear at the Japanese Grand Prix in March. Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 11 May 2026
Verb
Lennox attributes the pivot more to the industrywide trend of Big Tech correcting staffing levels after overhiring during the pandemic. John Kell, Fortune, 13 May 2026 Both magnesium and vitamin B12 supplements are most helpful when used to correct deficiencies and under the guidance of a healthcare provider. Kristen Gasnick, Verywell Health, 13 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for correct
Recent Examples of Synonyms for correct
Adjective
  • According to Aliabadi, many patients never felt like PCOS was an accurate name because their symptoms go far beyond the ovaries to include effects like hair thinning, mood changes, and long-term metabolic risk.
    Jenna Anderson, Health, 13 May 2026
  • But subsequent reporting found that was not entirely accurate.
    Camilo Montoya-Galvez, CBS News, 13 May 2026
Adjective
  • After all, the key to a flawless beat is proper skincare application!
    Katie Decker-Jacoby, StyleCaster, 14 May 2026
  • Sit down at a proper meal table (not your desk or the car), put your snack on a plate or in a bowl, and take a breath to center yourself before taking the first bite.
    Lauren Panoff, Verywell Health, 14 May 2026
Adjective
  • Referees rarely do this work, receive no formal training, and know the exercise is as much guesswork as judgment.
    Adam Davis, New York Daily News, 14 May 2026
  • Authorities announced in April that a homicide investigation dating back to 1973 was brought to a formal close, more than a half-century after a woman was found dead in a Northern Virginia state forest.
    Drew Pittock, USA Today, 13 May 2026
Verb
  • Much more likely is that the Virginia Democrats will have to try again in the next election cycle with another vote to amend the state constitution and another referendum to try to get voters to draw a more aggressive map.
    Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 15 May 2026
  • According to a report from the National Conference of State Legislatures, lawmakers in at least 28 of the states with tax incentives have introduced proposals to substantially amend the existing tax breaks.
    Jake Angelo, Fortune, 14 May 2026
Verb
  • In response, California officials drew — and voters approved — new House boundaries that aimed to net Democrats five new seats, offsetting Republicans' potential gains in Texas.
    Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 16 May 2026
  • To offset federal cuts, Newsom proposed a $300 million fund aimed at keeping $0 monthly health plans available for lower-income Californians after Affordable Care Act tax subsidies expired last year.
    Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 15 May 2026
Verb
  • Europe has for years tried to isolate the Russian leader and punished his country with international sanctions.
    Hanna Arhirova, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2026
  • The jail later punished the women for helping, the suit alleges.
    Abigail Brooks, NBC news, 13 May 2026
Adjective
  • This is true only in the narrowest sense.
    Brian Seibert, New Yorker, 13 May 2026
  • That was certainly true on Monday, as Lamont signed a new 124-page labor bill into law.
    Andrew Brown, Hartford Courant, 12 May 2026
Adjective
  • Films that would once have sparked competitive bidding are screening to polite attention and noncommittal follow-up meetings.
    Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 17 May 2026
  • The old-school kind where everybody is mostly well-behaved and polite, and the audience scrolls on their phones to stay awake.
    Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Correct.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/correct. Accessed 19 May. 2026.

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