precise
Americanadjective
-
definitely or strictly stated, defined, or fixed.
precise directions.
- Synonyms:
- explicit
- Antonyms:
- vague, indefinite
-
being exactly that and neither more nor less.
a precise temperature;
a precise amount.
-
being just that and no other.
the precise dress she had wanted.
-
definite or exact in statement, as a person.
-
carefully distinct.
precise articulation.
-
exact in measuring, recording, etc..
a precise instrument.
-
excessively or rigidly particular.
precise observance of regulations;
precise grooming.
adjective
-
strictly correct in amount or value
a precise sum
-
designating a certain thing and no other; particular
this precise location
-
using or operating with total accuracy
precise instruments
-
strict in observance of rules, standards, etc
a precise mind
Related Words
See correct.
Other Word Forms
- overprecise adjective
- overprecisely adverb
- overpreciseness noun
- precisely adverb
- preciseness noun
- superprecise adjective
- superprecisely adverb
- superpreciseness noun
- ultraprecise adjective
- unprecise adjective
- unprecisely adverb
- unpreciseness noun
Etymology
Origin of precise
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin praecīsus “curtailed, brief,” originally past participle of praecīdere “to cut off, cut short,” equivalent to prae- pre- + -cīdere, combining form of caedere “to cut”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"It's about the feeling at that precise moment," Wyn Morgan says, "how it makes you feel emotionally," rather than something more scientific which requires you to know about everything you see.
From BBC
However, those findings relied on less precise measurements of redshift.
From Science Daily
The problem with etching patterns with atomically precise beams of light is that the material you shine it on also has to be atomically precise, or the pattern comes out blurry.
In its latest move, the group said it intended to cut administrative jobs, including at a major hub in Berlin, without giving a precise figure.
From Barron's
His reports flag dubious stops at big-box stores, fast-food restaurants, relatives’ homes and employees’ side businesses, with precise times and durations.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
