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"So you think the system is outdated?"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

• just
• right
• exactly

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

Here, Fallon supports veterans pursuing entrepreneurship through acquisition at precisely the moment a generation of owners is retiring. —Lyssanoel Frater, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2025

Really, though, Swift has done precisely what Pound commanded. —Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2025

This celestial phenomenon occurs when Earth is positioned precisely between the moon and the sun, causing Earth’s shadow to fall upon the surface of the moon, often turning the moon’s surface a reddish hue, according to NASA. —Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2025

In 2010, in an interview with the Mexican newspaper El Universal, Wilson shared that the most beautiful part of filming in Mexico took place precisely at that location. —Natalia Cano, Billboard, 4 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for precisely

• concisely
• nicely