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Definition of exact adjective from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

exact

adjective
 
/ɪɡˈzækt/
 
/ɪɡˈzækt/
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  1. correct in every detail synonym precise
    • The new palace is an exact replica of the original building.
    • It is an exact copy of the original document.
    • The model is exact in every detail.
    • For now they are keeping the exact date and location of the wedding a secret.
    • The exact nature of her illness (= precisely what her illness is) has not been made public.
    • Her second husband was the exact opposite of her first (= completely different).
    • The colours were an almost exact match.
    • She's in her mid-thirties—thirty-six to be exact.
    • (informal) I had the exact same problem as you when I first started.
    • What were his exact words?
    • A clear definition requires very exact wording.
    • Nobody knows the exact number of people affected, but it is over 10 000.
    • He started to phone me at the exact moment I started to phone him (= at the same time).
    Extra Examples
    • We need to know the exact time the incident occurred.
    • She gave an exact description of the attacker.
    • The two men were exact contemporaries at university.
  2. (of people) very accurate and careful about details synonym meticulous, precise
    • He was very exact about everything he did.
  3. (of a science) using accurate measurements and following set rules synonym precise
    • Assessing insurance risk can never be an exact science.
  4. Word Originlate Middle English (as a verb): from Latin exact- ‘completed, ascertained, enforced’, from the verb exigere, from ex- ‘thoroughly’ + agere ‘perform’. The adjective dates from the mid 16th cent. and reflects the Latin exactus ‘precise’.
See exact in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee exact in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English

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