Factual

adj.thoughtful, capableprofessional

What it means

Limited to information that can be checked against evidence.

Reach for it when praising a statement, summary, or account for sticking to verifiable details

Her factual timeline helped the neighbors separate the outage from the later repair.

everyday
literal
the wording should be understood without metaphor
not when Literal does not promise that the information itself is correct.
everyday
matter-of-fact
the delivery is calm and unemotional
not when Choose factual instead when you mean verified content, not an unsentimental tone.
warm
truthful
you are praising a person's honesty
not when Truthful addresses sincerity; factual is better for the content of a report.
professional
accurate
correctness is the main quality being praised
not when Something can be factual in subject yet still contain an inaccurate detail.
professional
evidence-based
research or documented results guide a decision
not when Do not apply it to a simple date or name that needs no body of evidence.
professional
fact-based
a conclusion rests explicitly on evidence
not when It sounds procedural when you are describing one plain statement.
formal
documentary
the account records real events or materials
not when It carries a genre flavor that may distract in routine business writing.
formal
objective
freedom from personal bias is more important than factual content alone
not when Objective can overclaim neutrality when the evidence was selected by a person.

factual account
The inspector provided a factual account of each completed repair.
factual error
One factual error changed the date but not the conclusion.
factual information
The leaflet separates factual information from personal recommendations.

The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.