as in inaccurate
not precisely correct
3.14 is an imprecise approximation of the value of pi
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Recent Examples of imprecise
Rare diseases are by nature less familiar to health care providers, which means patients often endure long periods of misdiagnosis, imprecise treatments, and extensive testing.
—
Alexandra Sifferlin, STAT, 31 Mar. 2026
Knee replacement surgery used to require a surgeon to manually saw bone — an inherently imprecise process.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 29 Mar. 2026
As that example from the space shuttle days shows, estimates made using scant data are likely to be imprecise and in need of future revision.
—Mike Wall, Space.com, 13 Mar. 2026
Scientists may be able to look at geographical data to estimate long-term glyphosate exposure instead, but that’s still an imprecise measure.
—Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 27 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for imprecise
Alexandra Sifferlin, STAT, 31 Mar. 2026
Knee replacement surgery used to require a surgeon to manually saw bone — an inherently imprecise process.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 29 Mar. 2026
As that example from the space shuttle days shows, estimates made using scant data are likely to be imprecise and in need of future revision.
—Mike Wall, Space.com, 13 Mar. 2026
Scientists may be able to look at geographical data to estimate long-term glyphosate exposure instead, but that’s still an imprecise measure.
—Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 27 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for imprecise
Recent Examples of Synonyms for imprecise
Adjective
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Many point to the lack of human understanding as a major concern, along with fears about inaccurate advice and privacy.—
Windsor Johnston,
NPR,
26 May 2026
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Not all examples are this extreme, but literal translation without context can produce wildly inaccurate meaning.—
Ryan Kolln,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
Adjective
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That number is down from the approximate 50,000 who were evacuated over the weekend.—
Austin Turner,
CBS News,
26 May 2026
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All of this is scheduled to be achieved before the end of 2033, so the entire project has reached an approximate halfway point on the road to completion.—
Michael T. Davis,
The New York Review of Books,
23 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Imprecise.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/imprecise. Accessed 30 May. 2026.
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