accurateac‧cu‧rate /ˈækjərət/ ●●● S2 W3 AWL adjective 
The brochure tries to give a fair and accurate description of each hotel.fairly/reasonably accurate Police believe Derek gave a reasonably accurate account of what happened.not strictly/entirely/completely accurate The evidence she gave to the court was not strictly accurate (=not exactly accurate).► see thesaurus at right, true2measurement measured or calculated correctly OPP inaccurate: It is difficult to get accurate figures on population numbers.3machine a machine that is accurate is able to do something in an exact way without making a mistake: The cutter is accurate to within ½ a millimetre.4well-aimed an accurate shot, throw etc succeeds in hitting or reaching the thing that it is intended to hit: an accurate shot accurate bowling—accurately adverb: It’s impossible to predict the weather accurately.
WORD ORIGINaccurate
Origin:
1500-1600 Latin past participle of accurare ‘to take care of’, from ad- ‘to’ + cura ‘care’EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- accurate financial forecasts
- Greene gives a remarkably accurate description of life in Saigon in the early '50s.
- I think your assessment of the current economic situation is pretty accurate.
- It is vital that the measurements be accurate.
- It was a devastatingly accurate shot by the Brazilian captain.
- More sophisticated equipment is needed to produce accurate results.
- She was able to give the police an accurate description of her attacker.
- That's a fairly accurate assessment of the situation.
- The authorities still do not have accurate information on the number of people killed or injured in the crash.
- The witness tried to give an accurate description of what she had seen.
- Tom was able to give the police an accurate description of the gunman.
- An accurate description of the problem is the first step in solving it.
- Combinations of such antibodies may offer a more accurate system for identification of tumour type.
- Entries are detailed, accurate and solid, written in clear, nontechnical language for the general reader.
- Event information is accurate as of press time.
- Pinpointed in about 60 seconds, the locations were accurate within 15 yards.
- Temperature is accurate to 0.005°C with a range of -10°C to +70°C.
THESAURUS
not wrong – used about something someone says, or about the person who says it: · the right answer· You were right about the colour.· ‘He’s about thirty, isn’t he?’ ‘That’s right.’
right. Correct sounds more formal than right: · the correct answer· He is absolutely correct.· Unfortunately, this information is not correct.
right – used about information, measurements, descriptions etc: · Make sure that your measurements are accurate.· an accurate description of the suspect
an exact number, amount, or time is completely correct, and is no more and no less than it should be: · The exact time is 9.28 a.m.· The exact weight of the baby was 3.3 kilos.
British English spoken informal exactly right – used especially about guesses or things people say: · His answer was spot-on.· You’re spot-on.
based on real facts, and not imagined or invented: · The film was based on a true story.· Do you think the rumours are true?
based on facts and not containing any mistakes – used about descriptions, information, and numbers: · The measurements are accurate.· His assessment of the current economic situation is accurate.
definitely true, so that no one can argue or disagree about it: · It is indisputable that the situation has got worse.· The decline in inflation was undeniable, even if the reasons for the decline were unclear.
based on facts, or involving facts: · The court makes its decision based on factual evidence.· There is very little factual information about the incident.· a factual account of what happened· The questions ask for a purely factual answer, not for opinion.
formal able to be proven to be true or correct: · The data was verifiable.
used when saying that something is definitely true: · It is a fact that women live longer than men.
to be true – used when saying that someone is not lying: · What I told you was the truth.
if a situation is the case, that is the way the situation truly is: · It is certainly the case that crime rates are lower in Europe than in the US.
an exact number, amount, or time is completely correct and is no more and no less than it should be: · The exact weight of the baby at birth was 3.2 kg.· The exact time is 8:16 a.m.
precise information is based on clear and exact figures or measurements, especially when it is important that no mistakes are made: · We need to know your precise location.· It’s difficult to be precise about the number of deaths caused by smoking.
completely correct because all the details are true: · The witness tried to give an accurate description of what she had seen.· accurate financial forecasts
Longman Language Activatoran exact description/translation/copy completely correct because all the details are true: · The witness tried to give an accurate description of what she had seen.· accurate financial forecasts
an exact copy, model etc of something is like it in every possible way: · an exact replica of a 900-year-old Buddhist shrine· I can't remember her exact words, but this is the gist of what she said.exact likeness (=use this about a painting or drawing of someone that looks very much like that person): · It's not an exact likeness, but it's recognisable as my father.exact same spoken: · She's wearing the exact same dress I bought last week!
a literal translation gives the exact meaning of a word, or each word in a sentence, instead of translating the word or whole sentence in a natural way: · The literal meaning of the Yiddish word 'mensch' is 'person'. · It's rare to use a literal translation of a film title when it is sold abroad.
if you repeat, copy, or translate something word for word , you use the exact words that are in it: · He asked me to repeat word for word the instructions he'd just given me.· The footnote gave a word for word translation of the quotation.
a faithful copy of something is as close as possible to the original: · His model cars are faithful copies of the originals.· This is a faithful interpretation of Shakespeare's original text.· a faithful reconstruction of an Anglo-Saxon village
exact and correct according to accepted rules or an accepted system: · Dates must be listed in strict chronological order.· Under a strict interpretation of the rules, she would be suspended.· In the strictest sense of the word, all popular fiction is 'romantic'.
formal repeating the exact words that were spoken or written: · The government released a verbatim transcript of the pilot's last words.· He lifted passages almost verbatim from an earlier essay he had written.
answers, statements, calculations etc that are correct if something that someone says or thinks is right , it is correct or true, especially because it contains the true facts or details: · Yes, that's the right answer.· Is that the right time?· Excuse me, but the bill isn't right - we didn't have a Caesar salad.that's right spoken: · "Your mother's a teacher, isn't she?" "Yes, that's right."
something such as an answer, fact, or calculation that is correct is true, has no mistakes etc, especially because it is the only answer or result that is possible: · The first ten correct answers will win a prize.· This information is no longer correct.· The correct results are on page 482.
information, measurements, descriptions etc that are accurate are completely correct and all the details are true: · She was able to give the police an accurate description of her attacker.· It is vital that the measurements be accurate.· The authorities still do not have accurate information on the number of people killed or injured in the crash.
when something is true something that is true is based on real facts and was not invented or imagined: · Everything I have told you is true.· At first I couldn't believe it was really true.· The movie is based on a true story.· If the rumours are true, we may all have a new boss by the end of the month.it is true (that): · It's true that our schools have suffered in the past from a lack of funding, but we are changing that.
to be true: · There's no way I can do any more work than I do now, and that's the truth.· We think that what she says is the truth -- she probably didn't intend to steal the money.
use this to say that something that is true about one person or group is also true about another one: · We encourage the kids in the program to work together, and the same thing goes for the adults too.· There are some bad teachers in state schools, but the same thing goes for private schools as well.
use this to emphasize that something is definitely true: it is a fact that: · It is a fact that more children in this country die in road accidents than from any other cause.
if a situation is the case , that is the way the situation truly is: it is the case that: · It used to be the case that British industry was plagued by strikes, but this is no longer true.as is often/usually the case: · The doctor prescribed drugs for the child, as is often the case with this illness.· He thinks I'm complaining about nothing, but that's just not the case.
a truthful answer or statement contains no lies: · Our citizens have a right to expect truthful reports from their government.· Justice Department officials who reviewed his statement found it to be truthful.
descriptions, information, or numbers that are accurate are based on facts, do not contain mistakes, and tell you exactly what is happening: · Greene gives a remarkably accurate description of life in Saigon in the early '50s.· I think your assessment of the current economic situation is pretty accurate.
ideas that are valid are based on what is true and reasonable, and should be accepted or considered seriously: · This may not be a valid conclusion - we haven't tested it thoroughly yet.· Many of Rousseau's ideas are just as valid today as they were in the 18th century.· The government still hasn't produced a valid argument in favour of its policies on immigration.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY Police believe Derek gave a reasonably accurate account of what happened. The evidence she gave to the court was not strictly accurate (=not exactly accurate).COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES The film is not an accurate portrayal (=correct portrayal) of his life. a faithful rendering of historical events
Police believe Derek gave a reasonably accurate account of what happened. The evidence she gave to the court was not strictly accurate (=not exactly accurate).· Both newspapers gave fairly accurate accounts of what had happened.
· Fortunately his calculations were accurate.
· It’s important to ensure that the data we collect is accurate.
· I don't think the hotel's description of its facilities was very accurate.
· It is impossible to make an accurate diagnosis without an examination.
(=fairly exact)· It’s hard to put an accurate estimate on the number of people affected.
· Are you sure this information is correct?
· a modern, accurate map of the district
· When making curtains, you need accurate measurements of the window.
· Our aim is to build an accurate picture of the needs of disabled people.
The film is not an accurate portrayal (=correct portrayal) of his life.· Jane's prediction proved to be accurate.
· Many hospitals did not keep accurate records.
· These reports were not an accurate reflection of existing attitudes.
a faithful rendering of historical events· The most accurate translation of the word would be ‘master’.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB· The aim is to use the rubble in as accurate a way as possible, avoiding recourse to modern materials.· The method of measurement should also be accepted as accurate.· He confirmed that he understood and signed the record of interview as accurate.· And sometimes the figures we use are not as accurate as we believe.· The teaching is just as accurate and painstaking and thorough as I have found in previous years.· Tests on 16 fossilised shellfish showed that acid dating is as accurate as carbon dating.· No doubt from then on my route wasn't as straight or as accurate as earlier, but at least I was moving.· This display is updated constantly so that the information shown on the screen is as accurate as possible.
· But whether or not it is a completely accurate report of what actually happened is perhaps not the point.· Certainly, one can not expect the forecasted figures to be completely accurate for each month.· All the facts given were checked and were found to be completely accurate.· From what will be said, it will be seen that neither the characterization nor the name is completely accurate.· Do not, however, rely on such information as being either completely accurate or exhaustive.· The conversation as related in the book is completely accurate.
· The picture of a dovish president pulled in opposite directions by thugs on both right and left is not entirely accurate.· But it is not entirely accurate.· This has a certain ring to it, but apparently it is not entirely accurate.· She found that the membership list with which Hilary Roberts had supplied her was a not entirely accurate document.· The popular image of him as a laconic, amiable figure is not entirely accurate.
· One must have a fairly accurate idea of the patient's weight.· Both newspapers gave fairly accurate accounts of what had happened the night before last.· After a while it grew apparent that Tara's verdict on Guy was fairly accurate.· As a result the accounts produced will tend to reflect a fairly accurate view of the profitability of the business.· Linear, scientific perspective allows for a fairly accurate mental reconstruction of the distances separating objects.· Quality of the written report: A fairly accurate picture, but raised no new, major issues.· The estimate of three revolutions for three overflow records will thus be fairly accurate in this case.
· This last fact is made use of in achieving highly accurate potential-difference ratios.· He was well aware that highly accurate biological tests would disclose his responsibility.· These transmit coded signals containing information from highly accurate atomic clocks on board.· The standardization of recording methods allows rapid and highly accurate comparisons to be made between different artifact types.· The advance has proved highly accurate in recognising continuously spoken airborne reconnaissance reports for the Royal Air Force.
· Again the use of such language may be a problem in a novel intended to be historically accurate.· A: Nobody ever accuses Hollywood of making historically accurate films.· Vartian says he wants the museum to be as emotionally powerful and historically accurate as Washington's U.S.
· He smiled to think how accurate his suspicions had been in that direction.· People always questioned how accurate a passer he was, and this year he proved he is.· How polite are drivers? How accurate is documentation?· Consequently, you will be able to judge for yourself how accurate we are in describing the abbreviated style in general.· As far as he is concerned, nobody cares how accurate our portrayal of Claudia's love life is.· If you are in good practice, it is fun to discover just how accurate you can be with a crosswind landing.· The material involved may go to show how accurate were the company's financial statements and how accurate were any representations made.
· Playing time is longer about one hour of straight playing time per side - but random access is less accurate.· But as decades passed, the magnetic charts became less accurate.· Mammography is less accurate at detecting cancers in younger women.· Schemata progress from being less accurate to being more accurate.· Care must be taken in making visual estimates, and results are usually much less accurate than with point counting techniques.· But so far the intensity method has proved inherently much less accurate than the directional method.
· The registered version is configured for your time and place of birth which makes it even more accurate.· The information the device collects helps divers gather more accurate records of free-fall times.· Combinations of such antibodies may offer a more accurate system for identification of tumour type.· It also will monitor the installation of a program for a more accurate removal later.· One or two other species of bird have developed a much more accurate technique of finding their way in the dark.· A different interpretation of the Orphic cosmogonic accounts is more accurate.· WinTach should give you more accurate performance figures.· Some leading Republican members of Congress said Friday they consider $ 825 million to be a more accurate estimate.
· As usual, Calvin Peete was the most accurate driver.· A quality assurance program assists practitioners to base decisions for patient care on the most accurate available scientific knowledge and proven practices.· The most accurate way to assess an individual's temperament is by observing his expressions and behaviour.· What students do, not what they know, is the most accurate measure of their success in schools.· In fact, it is describing the circle in the most accurate way possible.· Is one the most accurate explanation of politics for all political systems?· I keep a most accurate record.· Rubenski, one of our most accurate gunners, opened up as we drew closer to the gun position.
· Estimates can be quite accurate once two days in advance are concerned.· And the name is quite accurate -- these cars are actually one-fourth the size of their full-grown kin.· That passage is not quite accurate.· But this is not quite accurate.· Perhaps it could have been rounded up to seven hundred - still not quite accurate, but at least more accurate?· The first paragraph is quite accurate.
· Obviously where frequent attempts are made at reconciliation the cost accounts may be reasonably accurate.· In the private sector, decision making can be guided and implemented by considerations that are subject to reasonably accurate escalation.· In most cases our customers find our estimates reasonably accurate.· The several criticisms of the market economy are reasonably accurate and certainly too serious to ignore.· Nor are they fully explained - although less efficient digestion in general is probably a reasonably accurate explanation.· This helps stress the need to get the whole approach right if the landings are to be reasonably accurate.· Forecasts of mortality are now reasonably accurate.· The current Building Regs are the 1985 edition: books published in 1986 or later should be reasonably accurate.
· Perceptions need not be strictly accurate.· To be strictly accurate, there are two Wolvertons, Old and New.· To be strictly accurate about it, they are mostly very reliable once they are up and running properly.· So Tite's evidence at the inquest was not strictly accurate.· Interestingly, this view of personality and behaviour is not strictly accurate.
· It won't be very accurate in practice, because of difficulty in measuring the distances accurately, but at least it's right.· The stories were very accurate in that regard.· I thought he was a very toffee-nosed man, a good draughtsman in a commercial sort of way, very accurate of course.· Certain configurations gave the time and place to a very accurate degree.· One system uses a peristaltic pump which, although very accurate, can not withstand back pressure.· Happenings' is a very accurate word for it.· In the first experiment our source is a not very accurate gun which sprays bullets on to the first screen.· Automatic weighing machines are very accurate and sample packs are taken regularly and weighed as a check.
NOUN· After all, whatever interpretation of the Bible is considered, it remains an accurate account of human behaviour.· The evening paper here has a more accurate account.· Both newspapers gave fairly accurate accounts of what had happened the night before last.· Whether it is an accurate account of the genesis of these hallucinations remains to be seen.· If by history is meant accurate accounts of past events supported by evidence, they are certainly not that.· Management will therefore need to be able to have sufficient information to present an accurate account to the media.
· Well, she shouldn't be surprised, because it was quite an accurate assessment.· A more accurate assessment can be gained by calculating your body mass index or your percentage of body fat.· Assessment of the problem Effective intervention and treatment is based on an accurate assessment of the presenting problem.· Yet this is hardly an accurate assessment.· There are still no accurate assessments of damage available.· It is infinitely more difficult to make an accurate assessment of the immediate past and of the present.· But the committed membership are not those best able to give an accurate assessment.· The planning of each patient's care is dependent upon a comprehensive and accurate assessment.
· The provision of accurate data by fishing nations.· Since accurate data have been kept, there have been no other periods of sharply rising inequality.· We have seen how staggeringly impressive it is as an accurate data storage device.· One of the biggest problems facing task forces has been collecting accurate data.· In the meantime task forces are trying to collect accurate data on actual hours worked as opposed to contracted hours.
· A certain nervous expectation, incipient disappointment mitigated by professional Micawberism, is a more accurate description.· An accurate description of the problem is the first step in solving it.· Do you think that this is an accurate description of how people behave when they acquire extra money?· Neither the word voluntary nor the word nonprofit offers an accurate description.· This seems to be an accurate description of the initial decisions about seeking entry into higher education.· Both linguists wish to produce accurate descriptions of the particular language studied.· Precisely because they make no claim to be accurate descriptions of the social world, they are not directly testable.· These days, a more accurate description is that, despite official assurances, relations are bad and getting worse.
· After the tubercle bacillus was identified, accurate diagnosis of tuberculosis, of the lungs and of other organs, became possible.· The challenge in making an accurate diagnosis begins immediately when the consultant enters the organization.· Lack of tenacity could be a more accurate diagnosis.· We give structured assessments, order appropriate investigations, reach an accurate diagnosis and then make the relevant treatment or referral.· The accurate diagnosis achieved combined with the evolution of intrauterine surgery, however, is radically changing patients' management.· But although this discovery has made accurate diagnosis much easier, the way in which the expansion occurs remains to be understood.
· It became essential to obtain an accurate estimate of just how many tigers were left.· So even in 1966, the twelve-minute figure does not appear to have been an accurate estimate.· Similarly, accurate estimates of the marginal costs of production are often very difficult to obtain.· Some leading Republican members of Congress said Friday they consider $ 825 million to be a more accurate estimate.· The most reliable and accurate estimates can normally be obtained using one of the true cross-areal interpolation methods.· All are now agreed that that proved to be a remarkably accurate estimate.· By contrast, Glasgow gave accurate estimates.· Tom Tedder's tragedy was that he had a perfectly accurate estimate of his own talents as an artist.
· After hours of brain searching work I arrived at a formula that produced some sensible - but not accurate figures.· Many found it difficult to give accurate figures as the livestock year dictated two very definite peak work periods.· As many as 20 percent of people over 80 may be suffering from dementia, but no accurate figures are available.· More accurate figures are being made available with improved central bank supervision of external money markets.· The number of executions of prisoners appears to be around 100-200, though accurate figures are hard to get.· Second, I promised that the accurate figures will be published.· Others are impossible to locate and drop out of the statistics in due course; therefore accurate figures are difficult to obtain.· Denial by the physically abused person is another barrier to obtaining accurate figures.
· The availability of accurate information with respect to the current sales enables sophisticated marketing capable of responding to consumers' preferences.· The second part of step two is often neglected by teachers, mainly because it is difficult to obtain accurate information.· For markets to work well, consumers need access to adequate and accurate information.· Resource allocation in the near future requires accurate information not only for each school but within a school for each year.· She then told her husband so that he could decide on the course of treatment on the basis of accurate information.· The main reason for this growth was that Congress no longer trusted the executive branch to provide it with accurate information.
· Use of Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate test-kits will give you an accurate measure of how effective your bacterial filtration is.· What students do, not what they know, is the most accurate measure of their success in schools.· Firstly, we need a national register of hip replacements and revisions to provide an accurate measure of revision rate.· One of the difficulties was that we didn't have a clear and accurate measure of performance of the system.
· The figures are too small to allow accurate measurement of the exponent.· If accurate measurement of quality is in place, natural selection proceeds almost automatically.· The accurate measurement of area by this method must be achieved before it is sensible to talk about reflectance.· More accurate measurements showed that a single epicycle per planet was not enough.· It was his development of special thermometer glass with glass capillaries containing liquid that made such accurate measurement feasible.· Because of the small difference between therapeutic and toxic levels in the serum, accurate measurements of lithium concentrations are essential.· More important, there is always the insistence on accurate measurement and also repeatable measurement.· Figure 8-5 contains a flowchart with 18 points describing the steps to be taken if accurate measurements are completed.
· These studies need to be repeated with presently available more accurate methods for assay of histamine.· It can not, however, be claimed with any certainty that it is a more accurate method.
· The artist was determined to present an accurate picture.· You can't get an accurate picture off television.· The police had been excluded from prior knowledge of the arrests, but quickly built up an accurate picture.· By doing so, he would more easily be able to form an accurate picture of his father as well.· Had they been given a more accurate picture of what was actually taking place, would they have reacted differently?· This reduces the workload and helps in the production of a more comprehensive and accurate picture.· It hopes this will give it a more accurate picture of the actual casualty rate.· But in the circumstances of this case, that was not an accurate picture.
· Constanze said many years later that it was an accurate portrayal of her anguish.· What is the relationship between the accurate portrayal of a single case and a general truth about the nature of things?
· Such a model facilitates accurate predictions of the average change in charge radii for nuclei.
· An accurate record of Mr Reynolds' fluid intake and output was kept.· The information the device collects helps divers gather more accurate records of free-fall times.· Many hospitals did not keep accurate records and some did not provide figures, the inquiry found.· An accurate record of her progress needs to be kept and a check made on the experience she has gained.· Simple mechanical devices were placed in the test room to maintain an accurate record of output.· Some reports will be on paper, to provide an accurate record of that resident, others are verbal.· This is where accurate records will help the producer make a decision.
· The map is drawn to help the traveller, not to be an accurate reflection of reality.· Evidence is also presented which suggests that amylase determination in oesophageal fluid is an accurate reflection of salivary contamination.· These changes are designed to provide a more accurate reflection of the roles of the various officers.
· It need not be an accurate representation but more of an expression of local features and history.· The painting was not an accurate representation of the Falls but a kind of Platonic ideal.· Is it a whitewash or an accurate representation of the result of a searching investigation?· The screen shows an accurate representation of how the composition will look as a printed score.
· The most accurate way to assess an individual's temperament is by observing his expressions and behaviour.· One need not attempt to visualize this in any accurate way.· In fact, it is describing the circle in the most accurate way possible.· It is crucial to distinguish between formal and informal styles of language before one can compare dialects in an accurate way.· The tape measure is a much more accurate way of assessing your progress.· Writers take facts and transform them into stories, trying to tell them in an interesting, accurate way.· YO-YO would be a more accurate way to describe the succession of U-turns made recently by John Major and his Ministers.· The most accurate way is to have your running style videotaped and analysed by a biomechanics lab.
WORD FAMILYnounaccuracy ≠ inaccuracyadjectiveaccurate ≠ inaccurateadverbaccurately ≠ inaccurately
1information correct and true in every detail OPP inaccurate: The brochure tries to give a fair and accurate description of each hotel.fairly/reasonably accurate Police believe Derek gave a reasonably accurate account of what happened.not strictly/entirely/completely accurate The evidence she gave to the court was not strictly accurate (=not exactly accurate).► see thesaurus at right, true2measurement measured or calculated correctly OPP inaccurate: It is difficult to get accurate figures on population numbers.3machine a machine that is accurate is able to do something in an exact way without making a mistake: The cutter is accurate to within ½ a millimetre.4well-aimed an accurate shot, throw etc succeeds in hitting or reaching the thing that it is intended to hit: an accurate shot accurate bowling—accurately adverb: It’s impossible to predict the weather accurately.