1
Core logical function
Restate something with greater exactness or a narrower specification.
Example
The object is metallic—more precisely, it is an alloy of copper and tin.
more precisely
/mɔː prɪˈsaɪsli/ · mor pri-SYSE-leeprecision transition
Restate something with greater exactness or a narrower specification.
Use more precisely to express this relationship precisely: restate something with greater exactness or a narrower specification.
What more precisely Really Means
The word becomes easier to use when its closely related senses are separated and compared.
2
Sentence connection
Use this expression in its normal grammatical frame so the relationship between the surrounding ideas remains explicit.
Example
More precisely, the decline began in the western districts in 1987.
3
Argument-level effect
It tells the reader how to interpret the timing, scope, evidence, contrast, condition, or consequence in the statement.
Example
The two groups differed slightly, or, more precisely, by 3.2 percentage points.
Use more precisely Naturally
Notice how the surrounding noun or clause reveals the exact shade of meaning.
The object is metallic—more precisely, it is an alloy of copper and tin.
More precisely, the decline began in the western districts in 1987.
The two groups differed slightly, or, more precisely, by 3.2 percentage points.
Precision Matters
More precisely overlaps with several common words, but each carries a different emphasis.
more precisely
vs.Means restate something with greater exactness or a narrower specification.
specifically
Means identify an exact detail, case, feature, or formulation within a broader statement.
more precisely
vs.Means restate something with greater exactness or a narrower specification.
in other words
Means restate an idea in clearer, simpler, or more explicit terms.
more precisely
vs.Means restate something with greater exactness or a narrower specification.
put differently
Means restate an idea in another way to clarify its meaning or implication.
more precisely
vs.Means restate something with greater exactness or a narrower specification.
namely
Means identify exactly what a preceding general reference means or includes.
Test more precisely in Context
The second description narrows the first to a more exact category.
1
The animal is a marine mammal; ___, it is a member of the dolphin family.