What does "exact" mean?
To demand and enforce the payment or performance of, sometimes in a forcible or imperious way.
Exact
/ɪɡˈzækt/ adj, adv, verb
adj, adv, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: To demand and enforce the payment or performance of, sometimes in a forcible or imperious way.
- Grammar: exact is listed as adj, adv, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: accurate, precise, accurate, accurate energy data.
- Useful contrasts: approximate, imprecise, inexact.
- Usage evidence: Life is not an exact science, it is an art.
How to use "exact"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "exact" 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 "exact" 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 "exact" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "exact" 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 "exact" is acting as adj, adv, 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 "accurate" 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 "exact", 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
Verb
- 1 To demand and enforce the payment or performance of, sometimes in a forcible or imperious way. ambitransitive
"to exact tribute, fees, or obedience from someone"
- 2 take as an undesirable consequence of some event or state of affairs wordnet
- 3 To make desirable or necessary. transitive
"I vvait, Madam, / To knovv vvhat your commands are; my deſignes / Exact me in another place."
- 4 claim as due or just wordnet
- 5 To inflict; to forcibly obtain or produce; to visit. transitive
"to exact revenge on someone"
Adjective
- 1 Precisely agreeing with a standard, a fact, or the truth; perfectly conforming; neither exceeding nor falling short in any respect.
"The clock keeps exact time."
- 2 Habitually careful to agree with a standard, a rule, or a promise; accurate; methodical; punctual.
"a man exact in observing an appointment"
- 3 Precisely or definitely conceived or stated; strict.
"An exact command, Larded with many several sorts of reason."
- 4 Such that the kernel of each morphism is the image of the preceding one. not-comparable
- 5 Such that it preserves short exact sequences. not-comparable
Adjective
- 1 lacking compromising or mitigating elements wordnet
- 2 (of ideas, images, representations, expressions) characterized by perfect conformity to fact or truth; strictly correct wordnet
- 3 marked by strict and particular and complete accordance with fact wordnet
Adverb
- 1 exactly
"She's wearing the exact same sweater as I am!"
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Life is not an exact science, it is an art."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "exact"?
Common synonyms include: accurate, precise, accurate, accurate energy data, accurate estimation skill, accurate information.
How do you use "exact" in a sentence?
Life is not an exact science, it is an art.
How do you pronounce "exact"?
Pronounced /ɪɡˈzækt/.
Etymology
From Latin exāctus (the verb via Middle English exact), perfect passive participle of exigō (“demand, claim as due; measure by a standard, weigh, test”), from ex (“out”) + agō (“drive”).