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Precisely

adv. capable, thoughtful professional

What it means

Meaning 1

With exactness, accuracy, or careful control.

Reach for it when describing work whose details closely match a requirement or measurement

The carpenter measured precisely before cutting the curved rail.

Meaning 2

Exactly so, with no intended qualification.

Reach for it when confirming that a statement identifies the point accurately

That is precisely why the second inspection was necessary.

Words to choose between 8

By register, from playful at the top to literary at the bottom, and by meaning across. Tap a word to see when it fits.
Meaning 1Meaning 2
everyday
warm
professional
formal
  • Precisely (this word)

Meaning 1: With exactness, accuracy, or careful control.

  • everyday

    exactly

    Fits when a value or match has no relevant deviation

    Careful Exactly can be conversational emphasis without careful precision.

  • warm

    carefully

    Fits when avoiding error through attention is enough

    Careful Care can be thorough without producing a precise result.

  • professional

    accurately

    Fits when correspondence with fact or measurement matters

    Careful Accuracy does not require fine detail or tightly controlled expression.

  • professional

    with precision

    Fits when controlled execution deserves explicit emphasis

    Careful The phrase is redundant if precision is already established.

  • formal

    meticulously

    Fits when painstaking attention to detail is visible

    Careful Meticulous work can still use the wrong standard and be inaccurate.

Meaning 2: Exactly so, with no intended qualification.

  • everyday

    exactly

    Fits when direct agreement or identification is intended

    Careful In casual speech it may sound emphatic rather than literally exact.

  • everyday

    just

    Fits when a familiar short emphasis fits the sentence

    Careful Just has many meanings and can create ambiguity.

  • professional

    specifically

    Fits when narrowing to one identified point matters

    Careful Specificity does not necessarily confirm that the point is correct.

Opposites 3

  • approximately
  • inaccurately
  • vaguely

Common phrases 3

  • measure precisely

    Technicians measure precisely because the two fittings differ by less than a millimeter.

  • precisely controlled

    The incubator is precisely controlled throughout the trial.

  • precisely because

    The route was changed precisely because the older bridge remained open.

Word family 1

Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Dvortygirl, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Updated