precisely

From precise + -ly.

• IPA^(key): /pɹɪˈsaɪs.li/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: pre‧cise‧ly

precisely (comparative more precisely, superlative most precisely)

1. (manner) In a precise manner; exactly.

   Synonyms: exactly, incisively; see also Thesaurus:exactly

   Antonym: imprecisely

   I always try to express myself precisely.

   • 1914, Ernest Bramah, Max Carrados:

     "To be sure. Mr Carlyle, the private detective——"
     "Inquiry agent," corrected Mr Carlyle precisely.

   • 2024 August 19, David French, “David French on the Pro-Life Case for Kamala Harris”, in The New York Times‎^[1], archived from the original on 19 August 2024:

     He says he will vote against Donald Trump “precisely because I’m conservative.”

   • 2025 June 18, “UNITED STATES v. SKRMETTI, ATTORNEY GENERAL AND REPORTER FOR TENNESSEE, ET AL.”, in Supreme Court of the United States‎^[2], archived from the original on 1 January 2026, page 47:

     Thus, “[t]he number of people who detransition or discontinue gender treatments is not precisely known.”

2. (focus) Used to provide emphasis. (Can we add an example for this sense?)