Precise Definition & Meaning

Home » How Do You Spell Precise » Precise Definition & Meaning

Maybe your like

  • American
  • British
  • Related Words
  • Other Word Forms
  • Etymology
  • Examples
  • Related Words
    • Synonyms precise American [pri-sahys] / prɪˈsaɪs /

    adjective

    1. definitely or strictly stated, defined, or fixed.

      precise directions.

      Synonyms: explicit Antonyms: vague, indefinite

    2. being exactly that and neither more nor less.

      a precise temperature;

      a precise amount.

    3. being just that and no other.

      the precise dress she had wanted.

    4. definite or exact in statement, as a person.

    5. carefully distinct.

      precise articulation.

    6. exact in measuring, recording, etc..

      a precise instrument.

    7. excessively or rigidly particular.

      precise observance of regulations;

      precise grooming.

    precise British / prɪˈsaɪs /

    adjective

    1. strictly correct in amount or value

      a precise sum

    2. designating a certain thing and no other; particular

      this precise location

    3. using or operating with total accuracy

      precise instruments

    4. strict in observance of rules, standards, etc

      a precise mind

    "Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

    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.

    However, an analysis, published in the British Medical Journal in November 2024 by a PhD student Cédric Lemarchand and colleagues, questioned how easy it was to determine the precise effect of psychedelic drugs.

    From BBC

    Police at the press conference said "several dozen" were presumed dead, but did not give a more precise number when responding to questions from the media.

    From BBC

    At a news conference on Thursday morning police said "several dozen" people were presumed to have died in the fire, although it was too early to give a precise number.

    From BBC

    And the choreographer, Katie Spelman, does wonderful work, for instance expressing the nervous energy of the students with precise and funny twitching of their sneakers under their desks.

    From The Wall Street Journal

    I was immediately besotted by the band’s hookiness, the way their songs felt both precise and slightly feral.

    From Salon

    Related Words

    • accurate
    • actual
    • clear-cut
    • correct
    • decisive
    • definite
    • exact
    • explicit
    • literal
    • narrow
    • particular
    • proper
    • rigid
    • rigorous
    • specific
    • strict

    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.

    Tag » How Do You Spell Precise