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.
Choose between these
8- 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
you are praising a person's honesty
not when Truthful addresses sincerity; factual is better for the content of a report.
- professional
correctness is the main quality being praised
not when Something can be factual in subject yet still contain an inaccurate detail.
- professional
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
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
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.
Said against
3- fictional
- inaccurate
- speculative
It naturally appears in
3- 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.