exactly

[ ig-zakt-lee ]
See synonyms for exactly on Thesaurus.com
adverb
  1. in an exact manner; precisely; accurately.

  2. in every respect; just: He will do exactly what he wants.

  1. quite so; that's right.

Idioms about exactly

  1. not exactly, Informal.

    • in no way; not at all: It’s not exactly funny, is it?

    • not completely so, but nearly so: The burgers are not exactly raw, but they need more cooking.

    • (as an ironic response) no: “Is that the jacket you ordered?” “Not exactly.”

Origin of exactly

1
First recorded in 1525–35; exact + -ly

Words Nearby exactly

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use exactly in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for exactly

exactly

/ (ɪɡˈzæktlɪ) /


adverb
  1. in an exact manner; accurately or precisely

  2. in every respect; just: it is exactly what I want

  1. not exactly ironic not at all; by no means

sentence substitute
  1. just so! precisely!

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