accurate

Meanings

1. Correct and free from mistakes.
2. Exact in aim or measurement.

Example sentences

• "Is this clock accurate?"

  Level B1, Meaning 2

• "The newspaper gave an accurate report of the event."

  Level B1, Meaning 1

• "Weather forecasts are not always accurate."

  Level B1, Meaning 1

• "He is an accurate shot with a bow."

  Level B2, Meaning 2

Synonyms and antonyms

Look-alikes and common mistakes

• precise : Precise means very exact in detail. Accurate means correct. A number can be precise, such as 3.14159, and still not be accurate.

Word family and forms

Word partners

Words and phrases that often go with "accurate".

• an accurate answer
• accurate information
• accurate to the second
• highly accurate
• an accurate map
• historically accurate

Origin

Accurate comes from Latin accuratus, which meant done with care. It is built from ad, meaning to, and cura, meaning care, and first appeared in English in the early 1600s.

Checked against: Wiktionary, the free dictionary, Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Dictionary.com.

Usage notes

"Accurate" describes how close something is to being exactly right; "precise" focuses more on exactness and detail, so the two overlap but aren't identical.

How to remember it

Accurate begins with "ac-cur", and cure and care come from the same Latin root: an accurate answer is one that was made with care.

Test yourself

Learn next at B1

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