Precision
What it means
The quality of being exact, accurate, and consistently controlled.
Reach for it when praising fine accuracy when the relevant tolerance or standard is known
The watchmaker adjusted the spring with remarkable precision.
Words to choose between 8
| everyday | |
|---|---|
| professional |
|
| formal | |
| literary |
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everyday
sharpness
Fits when visual or conceptual definition is the effect
Careful Sharpness is only one kind of precision and can imply severity.
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professional
accuracy
Fits when results correspond closely to the true or intended value
Careful A measurement can be precise but consistently inaccurate.
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professional
consistency
Fits when repeated results stay close together
Careful Consistent results may all miss the correct value.
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professional
specificity
Fits when wording or classification is narrowly defined
Careful Specific detail can be wrong and is not measurement precision.
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formal
exactness
Fits when strict correspondence or lack of deviation is central
Careful Exactness does not capture repeatability or controlled execution.
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formal
Fits when painstaking care produces the work
Careful Careful effort does not guarantee a precise outcome.
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formal
rigor
Fits when disciplined method supports dependable detail
Careful A rigorous process may report uncertainty rather than high precision.
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literary
fineness
Fits when delicate resolution or close detail is meant
Careful The broad word can describe texture or quality rather than precision.
Opposites 3
- imprecision
- inaccuracy
- vagueness
Common phrases 3
-
with precision
The crane operator placed the beam with precision despite the narrow clearance.
-
surgical precision
The editor removed repeated clauses with surgical precision.
-
precision instrument
Each precision instrument was checked against the same reference weight.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Vealhurl, Southern England accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Updated