precise

/prɪˈsaɪs/ (bre, ipa) · /prɪˈsaɪs/ (ame, ipa) · /pri-ˈsīs/ (ame, mw)

precise — adjective

  • precisepositive
  • more precisecomparative
  • most precisesuperlative

1. clear and exactly right, with details stated in a way that leaves no doubt.

1.形容詞B2
釋義

clear and exactly right, with details stated in a way that leaves no doubt.

例句

Please give the precise address, including the apartment number.

precise + noun for exact detail

The watch stopped at the precise moment the lights went out.

collocation: precise moment

同義詞
  • exact

    very close in meaning, often stronger with numbers, times, and limits

  • accurate

    focuses on being correct, especially compared with facts or measurements

  • specific

    stresses clear detail, but not always perfect exactness

反義詞
  • vague

    not clear enough to show the exact detail

  • rough

    only approximate, not exact

  • inaccurate

    not correct when checked against the facts

文法句型

precise details

a precise time

be precise about + noun

用法筆記

Often modifies nouns such as details, measurements, instructions, or time. Distinguish from sense 2: here the focus is on the information itself being exact, not on a person's careful habit.

常見錯誤

❌Be precise for the date on the form.
✅Be precise about the date on the form.
💡use 'about' for the detail you state exactly.
❌The report is very precision.
✅The report is very precise.
💡use the adjective precise after 'be'.

2. very careful to get even small parts right.

2.形容詞C1
釋義

very careful to get even small parts right.

例句

Yuki is precise about labels and dates in every box.

be precise about + noun

The jeweler was precise when setting the tiny stones by hand.

be precise when + -ing

同義詞
  • careful

    broader and more everyday, with less stress on exact detail

  • meticulous

    stronger, often suggesting extreme attention to tiny details

  • methodical

    focuses more on working in an ordered, step-by-step way

反義詞
  • careless

    not paying enough attention to details

  • sloppy

    informal; describes work done without proper care

文法句型

be precise about + noun

be precise in + noun

be precise when + -ing

用法筆記

Common after a linking verb, especially with about, in, or when + -ing. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense describes the care someone shows, not just whether the final information is exact.

常見錯誤

❌Mina is precise to every detail.
✅Mina is precise about every detail.
💡use 'about' with the thing someone checks carefully.
❌The nurse was precise for recording each name.
✅The nurse was precise when recording each name.
💡use 'when + -ing' to describe the careful action.