1
as in just
as stated or indicated without the slightest difference we will meet at exactly six o'clock

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
3
as in directly
in the same words a plagiarism suit alleging that one historian had copied large segments of another's text exactly

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

4
as in strictly
without any relaxation of standards or precision follow the rules exactly and you won't get into trouble

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

5
6

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 exactly The Israel-Hamas war, which will have lasted almost exactly two years if the peace deal is successful, has been by far the deadliest round of fighting between Israel and the Palestinians, surpassing the number of deaths in every round of fighting combined since 1948. Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 6 Oct. 2025 Lucky Brand Basel Ankle Bootie Ankle booties are a fall fashion staple, and these Lucky Brand ones are exactly what your seasonal wardrobe needs. Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 6 Oct. 2025 Bills stunned by Patriots Few would have predicted that the New England Patriots would be the team to snap the Bills’ unbeaten start this season, but that’s exactly what happened at Highmark Stadium on Sunday. Ben Church, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2025 The federal government attorneys could not answer Perry’s questions regarding where exactly the troops would deploy. Michael Loria, USA Today, 6 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for exactly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exactly
Adverb
  • After hours, a barista will usher you into Say Less Speakeasy, a lofty bar and lounge hidden behind an unassuming bookshelf just past the café register.
    Lyndsay C. Green, Freep.com, 3 Oct. 2025
  • Other parts of the country are nearing their peak, like northeastern Washington, central Oregon, eastern Montana, most of North Dakota, just over half of Michigan, as well as a large portion of Upstate New York.
    Saleen Martin, USA Today, 3 Oct. 2025
Adverb
  • That is precisely what this Million Dollar Lasagna manages to be.
    Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 3 Oct. 2025
  • Renowned anthropologist Louis Leakey chose Goodall to do this work precisely because she was not formally trained.
    Preston Fore, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2025
Adverb
  • The probability of lightning strikes rises as a thunderstorm approaches and peaks when the storm is directly above.
    CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 4 Oct. 2025
  • Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 4 Oct. 2025
Adverb
  • The Russian embassy in Denmark told Newsweek in a statement that its navy strictly complies with maritime law and that Danish authorities had not informed Russia of any recent incidents.
    Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
  • And its top models—like Bella Hadid and Kendall Jenner—are keeping their off-duty fashions strictly in summer mode.
    Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 1 Oct. 2025
Adverb
  • For capybara lovers who may not be quite ready to own an exotic pet, the following are places to visit them in the commonwealth.
    Lillian Metzmeier, Louisville Courier Journal, 3 Oct. 2025
  • As the days grow shorter and darker, and temperatures drop, there’s nothing quite like knowing there’s a warm, welcoming bed awaiting you at home to usher in a cozy night’s sleep, and long, languorous mornings when time allows.
    Hannah Coates, Vogue, 2 Oct. 2025
Adverb
  • Having the right headline can make the difference between someone reading it and scrolling right by.
    Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, jsonline.com, 3 Oct. 2025
  • After Game 1, in which the Padres’ Nick Pivetta was cruising right up until allowing back-to-back home runs, manager Mike Shildt acted decisively yesterday, replacing Dylan Cease after just 69 pitches (and five strikeouts) through 3 2/3 shutout innings.
    Levi Weaver, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Adverb
  • Daria stared at the arrangement of perfectly circular reddish bruises on the woman’s back, exposed by her halter top.
    Catherine Lacey, New Yorker, 5 Oct. 2025
  • So, spending your free time on a massive project for your crush seems perfectly reasonable.
    Andrea Wurzburger, PEOPLE, 5 Oct. 2025
Adverb
  • Researchers used a chemical-mixing lab robot and machine learning to test formulas, and their proprietary AI accurately predicted which combinations would succeed, outperforming existing deep neural networks.
    Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 8 Oct. 2025
  • The combination of genetic and behavioral differences more accurately contributes to an explanation, the study stated.
    Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Exactly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exactly. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on exactly

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!