exactly

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♦ ex|act|ly /ɪgz'æktli/
1 [ADV] usu ADV num, also ADV prep/adv
You use exactly before an amount, number, or position to emphasize that it is no more, no less, or no different from what you are stating.
Each corner had a guard tower, each of which was exactly ten meters in height...
Agnew's car pulled into the driveway at exactly five o'clock...
= precisely
2 [ADV] ADV as reply
If you say `Exactly', you are agreeing with someone or emphasizing the truth of what they say. If you say `Not exactly', you are telling them politely that they are wrong in part of what they are saying.
Eve nodded, almost approvingly. `Exactly.'...
`And you refused?'--'Well, not exactly. I couldn't say yes.'
= precisely
3 [ADV] not ADV, usu ADV group
You use not exactly to indicate that a meaning or situation is slightly different from what people think or expect.
He's not exactly homeless, he just hangs out in this park.
4 [ADV] not ADV, usu ADV group
You can use not exactly to show that you mean the opposite of what you are saying.
This was not exactly what I wanted to hear...
Sailing is not exactly cheap.
5 [ADV] ADV with quest
You use exactly with a question to show that you disapprove of what the person you are talking to is doing or saying.
What exactly do you mean?...
= precisely
6
see also exact

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