precise
286
3.6
- adjective
- /prɪˈsaɪs/
:
exacto
- They were able to calculate the precise moment of this event.
- more precise
- in precise detail
- provide a precise explanation
It doesn't need to be a precise proportion of salt.
- It doesn't need to be a precise proportion of salt.
- And let's let's quantify and make precise why it's so puzzling.
- So it's the clearest, most precise version of what you're trying to do.
- So these are also really, really small but precise scales.
- And the other side is a very precise liner.
- Why, why do they need to be so precise?
Examples
-
Right at this precise moment, I'm not sorry at all.
-
The staff was precise, efficient and fast.
-
So I have to be really precise with how I do my eyes.
-
This is a precise military operation.
-
Students will work hard to get the precise musical sounds they want.
Academic text (1999) -
Her speech was cultured and precise, but she was warm and quick to laugh.
Fiction book (1990) -
Then I practiced, first the precise, lonely singing of the scales, then the figures.
Fiction book (1990) -
The finger and thumb holes allow a firm grip and a precise position.
Academic text (2011) -
The engineer provided a precise measurement for the construction project.
-
In her speech, she was precise about the details of the new policy.
Synonyms
∞
3.9
Clearly defined and exact for a particular thing or person
901
3.2
Completely correct in every small detail
680
3.0
Exactly correct in every detail
261
1.0
Exactly aimed and hitting the intended point
155
1.6
Clearly stated or decided and not vague
142
4.8
Clear and detailed so there is no confusion
112
7.0
Exactly correct in what someone says
58
8.6
Being very careful about small details
42
4.4
Exactly right about a fact or idea
31
6.0
Exactly right in what someone says or does
15
5.9
Exactly correct in every detail
6
4.8
Exactly correct about a fact or answer
3
7.4
Exactly right for a situation or need
1
5.8
Exactly correct in every word, matching the original text
Antonyms
Idioms
Compounds
How Exact
Surface Forms
Etymology
Precise comes from Latin parts pre- 'before' and caedere 'to cut', and it originally meant 'cut short' or neatly cut. Think of a clean cut from scissors that gives a clear, exact edge. That's why we call something precise when it is exact and accurate.