exact 1 of 2

1
2
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

3
4
5

exact

2 of 2

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

2
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
Join 4 others in the comments View Comments Wen: The exact cause is not known, though there are some hypotheses. Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 1 May 2025 The exact ratios will vary by company and even product on a case basis, but one truth remains: the impacts will be hardest on small businesses. Lauren Parker, Footwear News, 1 May 2025
Verb
The communist victors changed the beloved name of Saigon to Ho Chi Minh City, and exacted revenge on the South. Lauren Vuong, Mercury News, 19 Apr. 2025 Even with the offense held in check by the Tigers’ exacting pitchers (and the Michigan chill), New York still leads all teams in runs and homers per game. Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for exact
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exact
Adjective
  • My life was just 93 more respondents away from being cosmically deemed correct!
    Jessie Rosen, People.com, 3 May 2025
  • The directionally correct, if poorly executed: DOGE, gang deportations, the ...
    NR Editors, National Review, 2 May 2025
Adjective
  • While the Trump administration is defending the ACA law in the case in question, should the federal government win, the precise shape preventive care coverage requirements will take depends on the discretion of Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy.
    Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes.com, 4 May 2025
  • Why does Dean turn out to be so hungry for the precise form of companionship that Zoro and some of the other juvie inmates provide?
    Judy Berman, Time, 2 May 2025
Adjective
  • And they – their testimony was proven not to be accurate, that the president was not tying aid to Ukraine to the investigation.
    CBS News, CBS News, 4 May 2025
  • Prices were accurate at the time of publication but may change.
    Samantha Neely, USA Today, 4 May 2025
Adjective
  • Our physical body is the antenna for all of these sensations; a relaxed, thawed body can pick up more subtle signals.
    Ginny Whitelaw, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025
  • The Row’s ’90s Bag makes a second cameo for a subtle finishing touch.
    Talia Abbas, Vogue, 30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • One, barring a mathematical miracle, would be Plymouth Argyle but relegation anxieties had remained with five other clubs all the way to the finish line.
    Nick Miller, New York Times, 3 May 2025
  • Even if Leverkusen beats Freiburg, a win or draw against Gladbach will also provide mathematical certainty next week.
    Manuel Veth, Forbes.com, 3 May 2025
Verb
  • His quest for affirmation demands a constant nursing of fear, and his life out of the spotlight has not cured him of that.
    Philip Elliott, Time, 8 May 2025
  • To demand that every new formulation be tested against an inert placebo would mean turning back the clock to reproduce trials that may have taken place decades ago, but resulted in the licensing of the original vaccine after safety and efficacy were established.
    Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2025
Verb
  • But with Trump imposing punishing tariffs on all Chinese imports, the millions of Americans who became reliant on those sites could find those cheap goods less affordable.
    Ramishah Maruf, CNN Money, 3 May 2025
  • That same month, the Trump Administration imposed tariffs of ten per cent on all Chinese imports.
    Oliver Whang, New Yorker, 3 May 2025
Verb
  • In Smith's case, an image of her was doctored to create explicit pictures and videos, with her face edited onto different, partly nude bodies, and then used to try to extort money from others.
    Nicole Valdes, CBS News, 1 May 2025
  • His tariff scheme seems to have degenerated from a program to restore American manufacturing to little more than a form of blackmail to extort concessions from U.S. trading partners—in the process allowing Trump to present himself as a powerful leader whose ass is getting kissed.
    Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 11 Apr. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Podcast

Cite this Entry

“Exact.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exact. Accessed 11 May. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on exact

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!