exactly

adverb

ex·​act·​ly ig-ˈzak-(t)lē 

1

a

: in a manner or measure or to a degree or number that strictly conforms to a fact or condition

it's exactly 3 o'clock

these two pieces are exactly the same size

b

: in every respect : altogether, entirely

that was exactly the wrong thing to do

not exactly what I had in mind

2

: quite so

—used to express agreement

Synonyms

• due
• full
• just
• precisely
• right
• sharp
• smack-dab
• squarely

Example Sentences

The levers need to be exactly positioned.

we will meet at exactly six o'clock

Recent Examples on the Web

On this week’s Beat Check, The Oregonian/OregonLive’s deputy politics editor, Jamie Goldberg, explains what exactly went wrong at the shelter and what the county plans to do to fix the problem. —oregonlive, 6 Mar. 2023

What exactly the splits should be will depend on both your time horizon and risk tolerance. —Jeanne Sahadi, CNN, 6 Mar. 2023

And that's exactly what folks are going to be looking for in '24. —NBC News, 5 Mar. 2023

That’s exactly what the Cyclones did with their 73-58 win at Baylor Saturday. —Lindsay Schnell, USA TODAY, 5 Mar. 2023

And in roughly 20 or so minutes of answering questions from King or fans in attendance, Steichen got a chance to show Colts fans exactly what Ballard has seen so far. —The Indianapolis Star, 5 Mar. 2023

What exactly does this sophisticated AI want to do instead of diligently answering our questions? —Jeremy Dauber, The Atlantic, 3 Mar. 2023

No one knows exactly what the Handle is, just that someone is going to sell it to the highest billionaire bidder. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 3 Mar. 2023

But starting sometime around the spring of last year, that’s exactly what happened. —André-naquian Wheeler, Vogue, 3 Mar. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

exact entry 2 + -ly entry 2

First Known Use

1612, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing exactly

• my sentiments exactly
• not exactly

• my sentiments exactly
• not exactly

Kids Definition

exactly

adverb

ex·​act·​ly ig-ˈzak-(t)lē 

1

a

: in an exact manner

do exactly as you're told

b

: so as to match fact or a state

at exactly three o'clock

exactly the same size

c

: in every way : altogether

that was exactly the wrong thing to do

not exactly what I had in mind

2

: quite so : just as you say

—used to express agreement