inaccurate

inaccurate — adjective

1. containing mistakes, so that facts, figures, or measurements are not right

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

containing mistakes, so that facts, figures, or measurements are not right

Example

Theo's watch was inaccurate, so he arrived twenty minutes late.

collocation: inaccurate watch / inaccurate clock

The journalist published inaccurate figures about the cost of the new hospital.

collocation: inaccurate figures / inaccurate data

Common collocations
  • inaccurate information
  • inaccurate data
  • inaccurate report
  • inaccurate figures
  • inaccurate description
  • inaccurate measurements
  • inaccurate estimate
  • highly inaccurate
  • wildly inaccurate
  • notoriously inaccurate
Synonyms
  • incorrect

    stronger than inaccurate; suggests something is fully wrong, not just slightly off

  • imprecise

    focuses on lack of exactness rather than error; common in scientific contexts

  • inexact

    more formal than inaccurate; often used for measurements or calculations

Antonyms
  • accurate

    the direct opposite; correct in all details

  • precise

    exact and accurate, with no room for error

Usage Note

Commonly pairs with nouns related to information, measurements, or descriptions (report, data, figure, calculation, map, estimate). Unlike 'wrong', which suggests complete falsehood, 'inaccurate' implies a partial error or lack of precision.

Common Mistakes

This calculation is wrong.' (when it is only slightly off).
This calculation is inaccurate.
'Wrong' suggests completely incorrect; 'inaccurate' allows for partial correctness.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Inaccurate, incorrect, imprecise, inexact, and wrong all describe something that is not right, but they differ in strength and typical use. Inaccurate is the most neutral term, suggesting minor errors rather than complete falsehood — a weather forecast can be inaccurate (slightly off the actual temperature) without being wrong (predicting rain when it stayed sunny). Incorrect is more definitive, implying a clear mistake has been made; an incorrect answer on a test is simply not the right one. Imprecise focuses on lack of exactness rather than factual error, making it common in scientific writing (an imprecise measurement is close but not exact). Inexact is more formal and often carries the nuance that exactness is inherently difficult (history is an inexact science). Wrong is the strongest and most informal of the group, suggesting a clear deviation from truth. For a B2 learner: use inaccurate for minor errors in data or reports, incorrect for definite mistakes in answers or facts, and wrong in everyday speech for clear falsehoods.

inaccurate ↗incorrect ↗imprecise ↗inexactwrong ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Etymology

LatinEnglish

The word 'inaccurate' is formed by adding the prefix 'in-' (meaning 'not') to the adjective 'accurate'. 'Accurate' comes from the Latin 'accuratus', meaning 'done with care', which itself comes from 'ad-' (to) and 'cura' (care). So in its original sense, being accurate meant being careful, and being inaccurate meant not being careful enough. The word entered English in the late 18th century.