exactly

[ ig-zakt-lee ]

adverb

1. in an exact manner; precisely; accurately.
2. in every respect; just:

   He will do exactly what he wants.

3. quite so; that's right.

exactly

/ ɪɡˈzæktlɪ /

adverb

1. in an exact manner; accurately or precisely
2. in every respect; just

   it is exactly what I want

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

sentence substitute

1. just so! precisely!

Word History and Origins

Origin of exactly¹

First recorded in 1525–35; exact + -ly

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. not exactly, Informal.
   1. in no way; not at all:

      It’s not exactly funny, is it?

   2. not completely so, but nearly so:

      The burgers are not exactly raw, but they need more cooking.

   3. (as an ironic response) no:

      “Is that the jacket you ordered?” “Not exactly.”

Example Sentences

The Idaho Supreme Court’s earlier decision didn’t exactly foreclose that argument, but it came close.

From Slate

The field has been awaiting the discovery of a fossil exactly like this one.

From BBC

What exactly those leadership qualities might entail was left vague.

From Los Angeles Times

To be clear, though, it’s not exactly a full-fledged department, or a government agency at all.

From Slate

There’s the question of why exactly Trump’s advisers think he should ask Congress for up to $50 million in taxpayer revenues to fund this thing.

From Slate

Related Words

• absolutely
• altogether
• carefully
• completely
• correctly
• definitely
• explicitly
• indeed
• literally
• precisely
• quite
• specifically
• strictly
• totally
• truly