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

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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

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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

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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 In October 2018, the Trump White House floated an internal memo defining gender in exactly the same language used in the recent day-one order. Nico Lang, Them, 21 Jan. 2025 And that's exactly where season two picks up is explaining exactly what happened and how that was even possible. Dana Rose Falcone, People.com, 21 Jan. 2025 There has been a great deal of speculation about what exactly the government was investigating and what the outcome would be. Todd Spangler, Variety, 10 Jan. 2025 That’s exactly the kind of high-risk, high-reward play that benefits an underdog. Jordan Brenner, The Athletic, 10 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for exactly 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exactly
Adverb
  • Put one foot in front of the other, smile and just keep on rolling.
    Karen Mizoguchi, People.com, 26 Jan. 2025
  • Lately, the 80-year-old gallerist has set her sights on Isola, a neighborhood just north of the city center that has attracted design workshops, thrift stores, and art studios.
    Denny Lee, Travel + Leisure, 26 Jan. 2025
Adverb
  • The answer lay in precisely those qualities that made L.A. such an attractive place to live: its climate, its canyonside homes, its wild ridges accessible only by narrow roads.
    Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2025
  • Free people and free markets is the stuff of peace precisely because the free flow of goods and services is the greatest foreign policy concept mankind has ever conceived.
    John Tamny, Forbes, 18 Jan. 2025
Adverb
  • Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium.
    Ron Wood, arkansasonline.com, 23 Jan. 2025
  • The buttons connect directly to campus police dispatch.
    Laura Rodríguez Presa, Chicago Tribune, 23 Jan. 2025
Adverb
  • But Hart is correct, no one attacks these types of plays quite like Anunoby does.
    Fred Katz, The Athletic, 22 Jan. 2025
  • Pre-storm conditions were quite dry, which introduces the potential for evaporative cooling as the snow machine gets started.
    Marshall Shepherd, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
Adverb
  • TikTok shut itself down for U.S. users shortly before midnight, right ahead of the ban’s Sunday start date, effectively preventing Americans from using its mobile app or website.
    Alison Durkee, Forbes, 19 Jan. 2025
  • Signature Headband If Blair Waldorf is your fashion muse, the Coach Signature Headband is right up your style alley.
    Emily Weaver, People.com, 19 Jan. 2025
Adverb
  • This wine—the crisp Pinot Bianco, the textured Chardonnay, the exotic Gewürztraminer, the elegant Pinot Noir, or the robust Lagrein—perfectly exemplify this region's quality and diversity.
    Joseph V Micallef, Forbes, 18 Jan. 2025
  • The video — posted by TikTok user Belle Hesse on Jan. 7 — shows hands placing a perfectly cut, phone-sized piece of sturdy cardboard inside a black phone case with an opaque screen protector.
    Toria Sheffield, People.com, 18 Jan. 2025
Adverb
  • That’s how financial planning—or perhaps more accurately, financial planners—have got the story all wrong.
    Tim Maurer, Forbes, 19 Jan. 2025
  • With proper technical assistance and the aim of protecting themselves rather than making a profit, captive insurers can often price risk more accurately than commercial insurers.
    Peter Green, Quartz, 18 Jan. 2025
Adverb
  • This havoc inspired the federal government to intervene to end the environmental wreckage, spare watersheds and shield communities, all under the aegis of conservation, which became a global project.
    Stephen Pyne, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Jan. 2025
  • Hopefully, the Recording Academy voters can all agree, however, that the best of the bunch this year is both a long time coming and totally fresh: Kim Gordon’s The Collective.
    Madison Bloom, Pitchfork, 29 Jan. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near exactly

Cite this Entry

“Exactly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exactly. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.

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