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.)

The 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

It is precisely to counter this sort of "negative advertising" that the garbage industry has lately been working hard to change its image.

—Elizabeth Royte

2

: quite so

—used to confirm emphatically that what has been said or suggested is exactly correct

"So you think the system is outdated?" "Precisely."

Synonyms

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

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

There’s simply not enough conclusive evidence to know precisely how these products influence cardiovascular health, Samantha Coogan, RDN, a nutrition sciences professor and director of the Didactic Program in Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, told Health. —Elizabeth Yuko, Health, 11 Feb. 2025

This story also has been updated to more precisely describe the stock awards. —Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN, 11 Feb. 2025

And the Trump administration’s freeze on U.S. foreign aid and gutting of USAID puts in jeopardy humanitarian and development programming across the country, including funding for the UNHCR, precisely at a moment in which millions of Syrians continue to depend on humanitarian aid. —Jesse Marks, Foreign Affairs, 11 Feb. 2025

With his near-perfect combination of both skill and luck, Summoning Salt's new record surpasses his own previous world record of precisely 2:00.00 on the in-game clock. —Ars Technica, 9 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1