inexact

[in-ig-zakt]

adjective

1. not exact; not strictly precise or accurate.

inexact

/ ˌɪnɪɡˈzækt /

adjective

1. not exact or accurate

Other Word Forms

• inexactitude noun
• inexactly adverb
• inexactness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of inexact¹

First recorded in 1820–30; in- ³ + exact

Example Sentences

Others combine to forge inexact recollections, grouping together years of returning to specific family properties, rental houses and cottages, condos and campsites.

From Salon

Any assessment of testing is always going to be inexact, based as it is on hints and snapshots of something necessarily opaque.

From BBC

In other words, the Chargers probably couldn’t go wrong with any of them, which isn’t often the case in an exercise as fickle and inexact as the NFL draft.

From Los Angeles Times

Once in a while, I feel so sad that I’ll never understand a piece of translated writing the way it’s really meant to be understood, because even the most exquisite translations are, by definition, inexact.

From Seattle Times

But to assess the full arc of global warming, scientists typically combine this data with 19th-century thermometer readings that were often spotty and inexact.

From New York Times

Related Words

• imprecise