exact
/ɪɡˈzækt/ adjective, verb, adverb
Forms exacter exactest exacts exacting exacted
- adjective 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.”
- adjective Habitually careful to agree with a standard, a rule, or a promise; accurate; methodical; punctual. “a man exact in observing an appointment”
- adjective Precisely or definitely conceived or stated; strict.
- adjective (not comparable, homological algebra, of a sequence of morphisms in an abelian category) Such that the kernel of each morphism is the image of the preceding one.
- adjective (not comparable, homological algebra, of a functor of abelian categories) Such that it preserves short exact sequences.
- verb (ambitransitive) To demand and enforce the payment or performance of, sometimes in a forcible or imperious way. “to exact tribute, fees, or obedience from someone”
- verb (transitive) To make desirable or necessary.
- verb (transitive) To inflict; to forcibly obtain or produce; to visit. “to exact revenge on someone”
- adverb exactly “She's wearing the exact same sweater as I am!”
Synonyms
perfect true correct precise strict spot on just precisely accurately demand claim take accurate
Antonyms
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”).
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Precisely agreeing with a standard, a fact, or the truth; perfectly conforming; neither exceeding nor falling short in any respect; true; correct; precise; as, the clock keeps exact time; he paid the exact debt; an exact copy of a letter; exact accounts.
- adjective Habitually careful to agree with a standard, a rule, or a promise; accurate; methodical; punctual; as, a man exact in observing an appointment; in my doings I was exact. "I see thou art exact of taste." Milton.
- verb To demand or require authoritatively or peremptorily, as a right; to enforce the payment of, or a yielding of; to compel to yield or to furnish; hence, to wrest, as a fee or reward when none is due; --followed by from or of before the one subjected to exaction; as, to exact tribute, fees, obedience, etc., from or of some one. He said into them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you. Luke. iii. 13.
- verb To practice exaction. [R.]
Etymology [L. exactus precise, accurate, p. p. of exigere to drive out, to demand, enforce, finish, determine, measure; ex out + agere to drive; cf. F. exact. See Agent, Act.]
Etymology [From L. exactus, p. p. of exigere; or fr. LL. exactare: cf. OF. exacter. See Exact, a.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “exact”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details