precisely
adverb
pre·cise·ly
pri-ˈsīs-lē 
1
: in a precise manner : exactly
weighing ingredients precisely
This incremental adjustment is continued until the bubble is precisely centered.—
Barry F. Kavanagh
—often used to emphasize the precision of something (such as a measurement, time, description, etc.)Barry F. KavanaghThe sample weighed precisely 6 ounces.
We arrived at precisely two o'clock.
She always knows precisely what to do.
He was popular precisely because he was so kind.
She always woke at eight precisely.—P. G. Wodehouse
P. G. WodehouseIt is precisely to counter this sort of "negative advertising" that the garbage industry has lately been working hard to change its image.—Elizabeth Royte
Elizabeth Royte2
: quite so
—used to confirm emphatically that what has been said or suggested is exactly correct
"So you think the system is outdated?" "Precisely."
Examples of precisely in a Sentence
I feel precisely the same way as you do.
measured the length of the board precisely
Recent Examples on the Web
But that is precisely what large-language models excel at.
—Lutz Finger, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025
In Gaza, though, no one knows precisely how many people have died, or what proportion were innocents; the Gaza Health Ministry, which is run by Hamas, maintains that more than half were women and children.
—Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 14 July 2025
Finding Gale’s writings changed the nature of my argument by raising the question of whether her erasure from literary history was precisely because of her politics.
—Deborah Williams
july 14, Literary Hub, 14 July 2025
The revenue does not even cover the cost of instruction in the sciences, precisely the areas where the Trump administration proposes its most radical cuts.
—Clifford Ando, Chicago Tribune, 14 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for precisely
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.
Lutz Finger, Forbes.com, 15 July 2025
In Gaza, though, no one knows precisely how many people have died, or what proportion were innocents; the Gaza Health Ministry, which is run by Hamas, maintains that more than half were women and children.
—Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 14 July 2025
Finding Gale’s writings changed the nature of my argument by raising the question of whether her erasure from literary history was precisely because of her politics.
—Deborah Williams
july 14, Literary Hub, 14 July 2025
The revenue does not even cover the cost of instruction in the sciences, precisely the areas where the Trump administration proposes its most radical cuts.
—Clifford Ando, Chicago Tribune, 14 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for precisely
Cite this Entry
“Precisely.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/precisely. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share