Standard Lemma guide

exactly

adv · intj · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ɪɡˈzæk(t).li/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: IH0 G Z AE1 K T L IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adv

Meaning 1

Without approximation; precisely.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: manner

Examples

  • Measure exactly so we can be sure it is right.
  • The edge is not exactly straight.
  • He divided the coins exactly in half.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adv

Meaning 2

Precisely, used to provide emphasis.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: focus

Examples

  • He did it that way exactly to prove the point.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

intj

Meaning 3

Signifies agreement or recognition.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • So you're saying that we have only three days left? — Yes, exactly!

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adverb

Meaning 4

indicating exactness or preciseness

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he was doing precisely (or exactly) what she had told him to do
  • it was just as he said--the jewel was gone
  • it has just enough salt

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: precisely, just

Antonyms: none provided

5

adverb

Meaning 5

in a precise manner

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • she always expressed herself precisely

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: precisely, incisively

Antonyms: inexactly

6

adverb

Meaning 6

just as it should be

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • `Precisely, my lord,' he said

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: precisely, on the nose, on the dot, on the button

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From exact + -ly.

Across languages

Translations

118 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: بِالضَّبْط (bi-ḍ-ḍabṭ) — in an exact manner
  • Arabic: تَمَامًا (tamāman) — in an exact manner
  • Arabic: بالضبط (biẓ-ẓabṭ, biḍ-ḍabṭ) — in an exact manner
  • Arabic: تمام (tamām) — in an exact manner
  • Belarusian: сапраўды (saprawdy) — in an exact manner
  • Bulgarian: точно (točno) — in an exact manner
  • Catalan: exactament — in an exact manner
  • Cheyenne: tó'tae- — in an exact manner
  • Chinese Mandarin: 恰恰 (qiàqià) — in an exact manner
  • Czech: přesně — in an exact manner
  • Danish: præcis — in an exact manner
  • Dutch: precies — in an exact manner
  • Dutch: exact — in an exact manner
  • Esperanto: ekzakte — in an exact manner
  • Esperanto: precize — in an exact manner
  • Estonian: täpselt — in an exact manner
  • Farefare: mã — in an exact manner
  • Finnish: täsmälleen — in an exact manner
  • Finnish: tarkasti — in an exact manner
  • Finnish: tarkalleen — in an exact manner
  • Finnish: tarkkaan — in an exact manner
  • Finnish: täsmällisesti — in an exact manner
  • Finnish: tasan — in an exact manner
  • French: exactement — in an exact manner
  • Galician: exactamente — in an exact manner
  • Georgian: ზუსტად (zusṭad) — in an exact manner
  • German: genau — in an exact manner
  • Gothic: 𐌲𐌻𐌰𐌲𐌲𐍅𐌰𐌱𐌰 (glaggwaba) — in an exact manner
  • Ancient Greek: ἀκριβῶς (akribôs) — in an exact manner
  • Haitian Creole: egzakteman — in an exact manner
  • Hebrew: בדיוק (b'diyúk) — in an exact manner
  • Hungarian: pontosan — in an exact manner
  • Ido: exakte — in an exact manner
  • Indonesian: tepat — in an exact manner
  • Irish: go díreach — in an exact manner
  • Italian: esattamente — in an exact manner
  • Japanese: 正確に (seikaku ni) — in an exact manner
  • Korean: 정확하게 (jeonghwakhage) — in an exact manner
  • Latin: ad unguem — in an exact manner
  • Latin: adeō — in an exact manner
  • Latin: examussim — in an exact manner
  • Luxembourgish: genee — in an exact manner
  • Malay: tepat-tepat — in an exact manner
  • Malay: dengan tepat — in an exact manner
  • Malay: setepatnya — in an exact manner
  • Māori: pū — in an exact manner
  • Occitan: exactament — in an exact manner
  • Polish: dokładnie — in an exact manner
  • Polish: ściśle — in an exact manner
  • Polish: precyzyjnie — in an exact manner
  • Portuguese: exatamente — in an exact manner
  • Romansh: exact — in an exact manner
  • Romansh: exactamain — in an exact manner
  • Russian: то́чно (tóčno) — in an exact manner
  • Serbo-Croatian: тачно — in an exact manner
  • Serbo-Croatian: точно — in an exact manner
  • Serbo-Croatian: tačno — in an exact manner
  • Serbo-Croatian: točno — in an exact manner
  • Slovak: presne — in an exact manner
  • Slovene: točno — in an exact manner
  • Spanish: exactamente — in an exact manner
  • Spanish: exacto — in an exact manner
  • Spanish: tal como — in an exact manner
  • Spanish: tal cual como — in an exact manner
  • Swedish: exakt — in an exact manner
  • Swedish: prick — in an exact manner
  • Tibetan: འཕྱུག་པ་མེད་པར ('phyug pa med par) — in an exact manner
  • Tibetan: གནད་དུ་འཁེལ་པོར (gnad du 'khel por) — in an exact manner
  • Turkish: aynen — in an exact manner
  • Turkish: tam — in an exact manner
  • Turkish: tam olarak — in an exact manner
  • Turkish: tam anlamda — in an exact manner
  • Ukrainian: точно (točno) — in an exact manner
  • Welsh: i'r dim — in an exact manner
  • Welsh: yn union — in an exact manner
  • Welsh: yn gymwys — in an exact manner
  • Arabic: بِالْضَبْط (bi-l-ḍabṭ) — signifying agreement or recognition
  • Bulgarian: именно (imenno) — signifying agreement or recognition
  • Czech: přesně — signifying agreement or recognition
  • Danish: præcis — signifying agreement or recognition
  • Dutch: precies — signifying agreement or recognition
  • Estonian: täpselt — signifying agreement or recognition
  • Finnish: täsmälleen — signifying agreement or recognition
  • Finnish: juuri niin — signifying agreement or recognition
  • Finnish: aivan — signifying agreement or recognition
  • German: ganz genau — signifying agreement or recognition
  • Hebrew: בדיוק (b'diyúk) — signifying agreement or recognition
  • Icelandic: einmitt — signifying agreement or recognition
  • Italian: appunto — signifying agreement or recognition
  • Ladino: djustamente — signifying agreement or recognition
  • Ladino: eksaktamente — signifying agreement or recognition
  • Ladino: tamam — signifying agreement or recognition
  • Malay: tepat sekali — signifying agreement or recognition
  • Māori: koia pū — signifying agreement or recognition
  • Norwegian Bokmål: nettopp — signifying agreement or recognition
  • Norwegian Bokmål: akkurat — signifying agreement or recognition
  • Polish: właśnie — signifying agreement or recognition
  • Polish: no właśnie — signifying agreement or recognition
  • Polish: dokładnie — signifying agreement or recognition
  • Russian: и́менно (ímenno) — signifying agreement or recognition
  • Russian: вот и́менно (vot ímenno) — signifying agreement or recognition
  • Scots: preceese — signifying agreement or recognition
  • Scottish Gaelic: dìreach — signifying agreement or recognition
  • Serbo-Croatian: točno — signifying agreement or recognition
  • Spanish: exacto — signifying agreement or recognition
  • Spanish: exactamente — signifying agreement or recognition
  • Spanish: école — signifying agreement or recognition
  • Swedish: exakt — signifying agreement or recognition
  • Swedish: precis — signifying agreement or recognition
  • Tibetan: ཏག་ཏག་རེད — signifying agreement or recognition
  • Tibetan: ད་ག་རང་རེད (da ga rang red) — signifying agreement or recognition
  • Turkish: aynen öyle — signifying agreement or recognition
  • Ukrainian: са́ме (sáme) — signifying agreement or recognition
  • Vietnamese: đúng rồi — signifying agreement or recognition
  • Vietnamese: đúng vậy — signifying agreement or recognition
  • Vietnamese: đó — signifying agreement or recognition
  • Welsh: yn union — signifying agreement or recognition
  • Welsh: yn gymwys — signifying agreement or recognition
Real reading context

exactly in complete knowledge articles