exact

English

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”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɪɡˈzækt/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ækt

Adjective

exact (comparative exacter or more exact, superlative exactest or most exact)

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.

   He paid the exact debt.

   an exact copy of a letter

   exact accounts

2. Habitually careful to agree with a standard, a rule, or a promise; accurate; methodical; punctual.

   a man exact in observing an appointment

   In my doings I was exact.

   • 1667, John Milton, “Book VIII”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:

     I see thou art exact of taste.

   • 1661, John Fell, The Life of the most learned, reverend and pious Dr. H. Hammond‎^[1]:

     During the whole time of his abode in the university he generally spent thirteen hours of the day in study; by which assiduity besides an exact dispatch of the whole course of philosophy, he read over in a manner all classic authors that are extant […]

3. Precisely or definitely conceived or stated; strict.
   • c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii]:

     An exact command,
     Larded with many several sorts of reason.

4. (algebra, of a sequence of groups connected by homomorphisms) Such that the kernel of one homomorphism is the image of the preceding one.

Synonyms

• (precisely agreeing): perfect, true, correct, precise
• (precisely or definitely conceived or stated): strict
• spot on

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of "precisely agreeing"): inexact, imprecise, approximate
• (antonym(s) of "precisely or definitely conceived or stated"): loose

Derived terms

• exact change
• exact cover
• exactly
• exactness
• exact rhyme
• exact same
• exact science
• exact sequence
• long exact sequence
• same exact
• short exact sequence

 

Translations

precisely agreeing

• American Sign Language: SmallO@NearTipThumb-PalmDown-SmallO@CenterChesthigh-PalmUp CirclesSurface Contact
• Arabic: مَضْبُوط (maḍbūṭ), دَقِيق (ar) (daqīq)
• Armenian: ճիշտ (hy) (čišt)
• Azerbaijani: dəqiq (az)
• Basque: zehatz
• Belarusian: дакла́дны (dakládny)
• Breton: rik (br)
• Bulgarian: то́чен (bg) (tóčen), преци́зен (bg) (precízen)
• Catalan: exacte (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 正確／正确 (zh) (zhèngquè), 準確／准确 (zh) (zhǔnquè), 精密 (zh) (jīngmì)

• Danish: eksakt
• Dutch: exact (nl), precies (nl)
• Esperanto: ekzakta
• Estonian: täpnee (et)
• Finnish: tarkka (fi), täsmällinen (fi), eksakti (fi)
• French: exact (fr) m, précis (fr) m
• Georgian: ზუსტი (zusṭi)
• German: exakt (de), genau (de)
• Greek: ακριβής (el) (akrivís)

  Ancient: ἀκριβής (akribḗs), ἀτρεκής (atrekḗs)

• Indonesian: akurat (id)
• Ingrian: tocnoi
• Irish: cruinn, baileach, beacht
• Italian: esatto (it), giusto (it)
• Japanese: 正確な (ja) (せいかくな, seikaku na), 精密な (ja) (せいみつな, seimitsu na), 詳しい (ja) (くわしい, kuwashii)
• Khmer: ត្រឹម (km) (trəm)
• Korean: 정확한 (ko) (jeonghwak-han)
• Latin: exactus
• Latvian: precīzs
• Lithuanian: tikslus (lt)
• Macedonian: точен (točen), прецизен (precizen)
• Maltese: eżatt
• Norman: juste
• Occitan: exacte (oc)
• Persian: دقیق (fa) (daqiq)
• Plautdietsch: wess
• Polish: dokładny (pl)
• Portuguese: exato (pt)
• Russian: то́чный (ru) (tóčnyj)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: точан, тачан, прецизан

  Roman: točan (sh), tačan (sh), precizan (sh)

• Slovak: presný
• Slovene: natančen
• Spanish: exacto (es)
• Swedish: exakt (sv)
• Tagalog: singkad, sayap
• Thai: แม่นยำ (th) (mɛ̂n-yam)
• Turkish: dakik (tr)
• Ukrainian: то́чний (uk) (tóčnyj), докла́дний (dokládnyj)
• Welsh: union (cy)

habitually careful

• Bulgarian: акура́тен (bg) (akuráten)
• Catalan: precís (ca)
• Dutch: exact (nl), precies (nl)
• Finnish: tarkka (fi), täsmällinen (fi), eksakti (fi)
• German: exakt (de), genau (de)
• Italian: esatto (it), preciso (it), attento (it)
• Polish: dokładny (pl)
• Portuguese: rigoroso (pt)
• Russian: аккура́тный (ru) (akkurátnyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: pongail
• Spanish: exacto (es)

precisely conceived or stated

• American Sign Language: SmallO@NearTipThumb-PalmDown-SmallO@CenterChesthigh-PalmUp CirclesSurface Contact
• Bulgarian: ве́рен (bg) (véren)
• Catalan: exacte (ca)
• Dutch: exact (nl), precies (nl)
• Finnish: tarkka (fi), täsmällinen (fi), eksakti (fi)
• German: exakt (de)
• Italian: preciso (it), definito (it)
• Maori: pū
• Polish: dokładny (pl)
• Portuguese: exato (pt)
• Russian: ве́рный (ru) (vérnyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: pongail
• Spanish: exacto (es)
• Tagalog: sayap

such that kernel equals image

• Finnish: eksakti (fi)
• Italian: equivalente (it)

Verb

exact (third-person singular simple present exacts, present participle exacting, simple past and past participle exacted)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To demand and enforce the payment or performance of, sometimes in a forcible or imperious way.

   to exact tribute, fees, or obedience from someone

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Luke 3:13:

     He said into them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you.

   • 2018, Edo Konrad, “Living in the constant shadow of settler violence”, in +972 Magazine:

     Their goal is retributive: to exact a price from Palestinian civilians (and in some cases left-wing Israeli Jews, Christians, and Israeli security forces) for actions Israeli authorities take against the settlers, usually building enforcement in illegally built settlements.

   • 2020 September 19, statement of Clarence Thomas on the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg[2]:

     She was a superb judge who gave her best and exacted the best from each of us, whether in agreement or disagreement.

   • 2020, Kristine Henriksen Garroway, John W. Martens, Children and Methods, page 139:

     […] a generic, strikingly universal, deity, “ha-elohim,” who tests, who exacts and extracts, and who is the object of fear […]

2. (transitive) To make desirable or necessary.
   • 1632, Philip Massinger, The Maid of Honour:

     My designs exact me in another place.

3. (transitive) To inflict; to forcibly obtain or produce.

   to exact revenge on someone

Usage notes

• Often used with the preposition from or on.

Derived terms

• exactable
• exacter
• exacting
• exaction
• exactor

Translations

To demand and enforce

• Bulgarian: изисквам (bg) (iziskvam)
• Dutch: eisen (nl)
• Finnish: vaatia (fi), määrätä (fi)
• French: exiger (fr)
• German: fordern (de), abverlangen (de), eintreiben (de)
• Italian: esigere (it), pretendere (it)
• Ngazidja Comorian: uɗai
• Portuguese: exigir (pt)
• Spanish: exigir (es)
• Ukrainian: стягати (stjahaty)

To make desirable or necessary

• Finnish: pakottaa (fi)
• Ido: necesigar (io)
• Portuguese: requerer (pt)

To forcibly obtain or produce

• Dutch: afdwingen (nl), doorzetten (nl)
• Finnish: saada (fi)
• German: erzwingen (de), durchsetzen (de)
• Portuguese: obter (pt)
• Spanish: exigir (es)
• Ukrainian: домагатися (domahatysja)

Adverb

exact (comparative more exact, superlative most exact)

1. exactly

   She's wearing the exact same sweater as I am!

Synonyms

• (error-free manner): accurately, just, precisely; see also Thesaurus:exactly

Further reading

• “exact”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “exact”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “exact”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from French exact, from Middle French exact, from Latin exāctus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛkˈsɑkt/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: exact
• Rhymes: -ɑkt

Adjective

exact (comparative exacter, superlative exactst)

1. exact, precise

Inflection

Inflection of exact
uninflected	exact
inflected	exacte
comparative	exacter
		positive	comparative	superlative
predicative/adverbial		exact	exacter	het exactst het exactste
indefinite	m./f. sing.	exacte	exactere	exactste
	n. sing.	exact	exacter	exactste
	plural	exacte	exactere	exactste
definite		exacte	exactere	exactste
partitive		exacts	exacters	—

Derived terms

• exactheid

Descendants

• Afrikaans: eksak

French

Etymology

From Latin exāctus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛɡ.zakt/, (old-fashioned) /ɛɡ.za/

• Audio

  (file)

Adjective

exact (feminine exacte, masculine plural exacts, feminine plural exactes)

1. exact; precise

Derived terms

• exactement
• science exacte

Further reading

• “exact”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French exact.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /eɡˈzakt/

• Audio

  (file)

Adjective

exact m or n (feminine singular exactă, masculine plural exacți, feminine and neuter plural exacte)

1. exact, precise

Declension

Declension of exact

		singular			plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative/ accusative	indefinite	exact		exactă	exacți	exacte
	definite	exactul		exacta	exacții	exactele
genitive/ dative	indefinite	exact		exacte	exacți	exacte
	definite	exactului		exactei	exacților	exactelor

Adverb

exact

1. exactly, precisely

See also

• precis