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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
When approached by The Athletic, UEFA confirmed this was correct. Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026 What’s more, it’s already portioned out into the correct dosage, so there’s no need to worry about accidentally taking too little or too much. Bestreviews, Mercury News, 26 Aug. 2026
Verb
The idea is partly to correct for Connecticut’s strange place in the cultural imagination. Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 27 Aug. 2026 No deleting, rereading, correcting grammar, or performing intelligence. Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for correct
Recent Examples of Synonyms for correct
Adjective
  • The more accurate framing is that many of these fees are supplier-imposed and disclosed in booking terms that travelers frequently do not read in full.
    Matthew Kayser, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Maher noted that many of those candidates were heavy favorites to win but agreed that his statement was not accurate.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • Potassium is a mineral your body needs for proper heart and muscle function.
    Zia Sherrell, HEALTH, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Bailey, who also serves as Bank of England governor, warned about the absence of proper guardrails around the technology, underscored by recent incidents in which frontier AI models being tested went rogue.
    Anna Cooban, CNN Money, 31 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • Early acting career Although Turner had no formal training, his raw talent soon caught the eye of several television directors.
    L. Sue Baugh, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026
  • When the Soviet Union collapsed, NATO lost its formal justification.
    JENNIFER KAVANAGH, Foreign Affairs, 28 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • It could be added to a budget trailer bill or amended into an existing bill, depending on how legislative leaders choose to proceed.
    Chaewon Chung Updated August 26, Sacbee.com, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Based on his reading of the 2022 measure, Hasen concluded that the intent behind it clearly wasn’t to create a new term limit law, but to amend the existing one.
    Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Some industry experts have warned that the SPR will soon reach operational minimums soon, wiping out any further cushion to offset the oil deficit from the Middle East.
    Jason Ma, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026
  • That includes an increase in special education staff, offset by a reduction in other staff.
    Molly Morrow, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • If, as Jimmy Connors has said, tennis is boxing at ninety feet—a lonely battle of wills that punishes the slightest lapse in concentration—Eala’s southpaw forehand drives resemble Pacquiao’s blazing left hooks.
    Albert Samaha, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026
  • If the teams refuse to enroll the players who benefit from the TRO, those players could petition Hoffman to clarify that his order also blocks the SEC from punishing schools.
    Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • The true main event will pit top AEW star Mercedes Mone against Willow Nightingale in yet another women’s world title match that will not go on last.
    Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Unlocking the true nature of dark energy and dark matter could help astronomers understand what the universe is made of, how its expansion has changed over time, and if there is more to understanding gravity than meets the eye.
    Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • In other words, what happens when their agreeable or polite approach to attaining something doesn’t work?
    Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Tell us about the crew From the waitstaff in the restaurants to the bartenders to the butler, the crew members were unfailingly polite and helpful.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Correct.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/correct. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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