What does "correct" mean?
A correct response.
Correct
/kəˈɹɛkt/ adj, adv, intj, noun, verb
adj, adv, intj, noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A correct response.
- Grammar: correct is listed as adj, adv, intj, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: chasten, discipline, rectify, right.
- Useful contrasts: untrue, amiss, bad.
- Usage evidence: If you see a mistake, then please correct it.
How to use "correct"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "correct" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "correct" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "correct" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "correct" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "correct" is acting as adj, adv, intj, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "chasten" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "correct", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A correct response.
"Having each day's rates of corrects and incorrects written next to the graph also makes it easier for you to check the […] If you also have students count problems incorrect, calling them “not yets,” or “learning opportunities,” or […]"
Verb
- 1 To make something that was wrong become right; to remove error from. transitive
"You'll need to correct your posture if you're going to be a professional dancer."
- 2 treat a defect wordnet
- 3 To grade (examination papers). broadly, transitive
"The teacher stayed up all night correcting exams."
- 4 make right or correct wordnet
- 5 To inform (someone) of their error. transitive
"It's rude to correct your parents."
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 alter or regulate so as to achieve accuracy or conform to a standard wordnet
- 7 To discipline; to punish. transitive
- 8 censure severely wordnet
- 9 fall in value wordnet
- 10 make reparations or amends for wordnet
- 11 punish in order to gain control or enforce obedience wordnet
- 12 adjust for wordnet
Adjective
- 1 Free from error; true; accurate.
"Your test was completely correct, you get 10 out of 10"
- 2 With good manners; well behaved; conforming with accepted standards of behaviour.
Adjective
- 1 free from error; especially conforming to fact or truth wordnet
- 2 correct in opinion or judgment wordnet
- 3 socially right or correct wordnet
- 4 in accord with accepted standards of usage or procedure wordnet
Adverb
- 1 Correctly.
"Hope I spelt your name correct."
Intj
- 1 Used to indicate acknowledgement or acceptance.
Example
"If you see a mistake, then please correct it."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "correct"?
Common synonyms include: chasten, discipline, rectify, right, abated, absolute.
How do you use "correct" in a sentence?
If you see a mistake, then please correct it.
How do you pronounce "correct"?
Pronounced /kəˈɹɛkt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Borrowed from French correct, from Latin correctus (“improved, amended, correct”), past participle of corrigere, conrigere (“to make straight, make right, make better, improve, correct”), from con- (“together”) + combining form of regō, regere (“I rule, make straight”).
Etymology 2
From Middle English correcten, borrowed from Anglo-Norman correcter, from Latin correctus.