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Definition of correctnext
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Synonym Chooser

How is the word correct different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of correct are accurate, exact, nice, precise, and right. While all these words mean "conforming to fact, standard, or truth," correct usually implies freedom from fault or error.

correct answers
socially correct dress

When could accurate be used to replace correct?

The synonyms accurate and correct are sometimes interchangeable, but accurate implies fidelity to fact or truth attained by exercise of care.

an accurate description

When can exact be used instead of correct?

The words exact and correct are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, exact stresses a very strict agreement with fact, standard, or truth.

exact measurements

Where would nice be a reasonable alternative to correct?

While in some cases nearly identical to correct, nice stresses great precision and delicacy of adjustment or discrimination.

makes nice distinctions

How do precise and exact relate to one another, in the sense of correct?

Precise adds to exact an emphasis on sharpness of definition or delimitation.

precise calibration

How are the words right and correct related?

Right is close to correct but has a stronger positive emphasis on conformity to fact or truth rather than mere absence of error or fault.

the right thing to do

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of correct
Adjective
The researchers also found that AI’s strength in flagging cancerous lesions didn’t carry over to naming the correct diagnosis among many possibilities. — Leslie Baumann, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026 To form memories, other sensory inputs have to make a stop in the part of the middle brain that basically directs them to the correct place called the thalamus. — Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 22 Oct. 2026
Verb
Iron Boy follows a young boy growing up in rural France who strains against the rigid restrictions of his home life, and the metal corset he is forced to wear 24/7 to correct his spinal conditions. — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2026 That approach gives the person a chance to correct their mistake without having to defend their character. — Angela Haupt, Time, 21 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for correct
Recent Examples of Synonyms for correct
Adjective
  • The forecast is accurate for a day or two but rarely predictive over weeks or months.
    — Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 26 Oct. 2026
  • The important point is that a label doesn't have to be accurate to influence how a company views you.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • Any function whose work can be pointed at a proper model of its underlying business, instead of at a general-purpose language model, is starting to compound the same way Anthropic’s engineering did a year ago.
    — Stephen Messer, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Pentecostal parents Ruth and Marius were accused of domestic violence, with worldwide protests criticizing what dissenters called harsh and hasty steps taken by Norwegian social workers without proper evidence.
    — Tomris Laffly, Time, 23 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • His death comes in the third week of IDHW’s formal monitoring of the 2026-27 flu season.
    — Mark Dee, Idaho Statesman, 24 Oct. 2026
  • OutKick had attended all 13 formal press conferences during the first three Finals games without being called on.
    — Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • The original proposal included employers of all sizes, but the Board of Health amended the policy to exempt small businesses.
    — Madeline Bartos, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
  • In 1990, Congress considered amending the CAA so that the EPA could substitute itself and take control of citizen suits over alleged violations.
    — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 21 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • This cycle of price increases serves not only to offset immediate fuel price spikes, but also to make up for unadjusted pricing power lost in recent years due to flight overcapacity, fare suppression, and persistent inflation.
    — , CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026
  • But private developers and homeowners will want higher rents to offset their investments, especially because construction and labor costs have skyrocketed since the COVID-19 pandemic.
    — Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • The course is august and sweeping, with long straights and punishing curves, framed by the tall pine trees of a former royal park.
    — Sam Knight, New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Cam Skattebo was surprisingly punished for his fumbling issues, but there is precedence in John Harbaugh’s coaching history.
    — Bill Reinhard, New York Daily News, 22 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • Andrew Durand, with his handsome crab-apple features, makes a perfectly quizzical Benjamin; Kelsee Kimmel is stirring as his true love, who shares his age just once.
    — Dan Stahl, New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Founded in Switzerland in 2010, On has collaborated with an impressive roster of partners over the last 16 years, from tennis legend Roger Federer to Spanish fashion house Loewe, all while staying true to its mission of celebrating movement.
    — Kasey Busiel, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • Music of the margins — which before neoperreo was punk rock and hip-hop — had been framed in opposition to polite society.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The emergency response agents were always polite and professional, and two-way communications came through loud and clear.
    — John R. Delaney, PC Magazine, 19 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Correct.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/correct. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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