inexactitude
Lack of precision
Inexactitude is a lack of precision or accuracy—the quality of being not quite right.
The word carries a formal, almost legalistic tone, often used when someone wants to sound diplomatic about errors or falsehoods: His testimony contained several inexactitudes.
Winston Churchill famously called a lie a "terminological inexactitude," demonstrating how the word can serve as elegant euphemism.
Absence of precision
- fuzzinessIndistinct or unclear quality
- approximationNear but inexact value
- loosenessState of not tight
- roughnessUneven surface quality
coarseness · blurriness · sketchiness · generality · broadness · indefiniteness · sloppiness · crudeness
Ambiguous language avoiding commitment
- polysemyWord having related meanings
- unclearnessAbsence of clarity
- obscurityState of being unknown
- indeterminacyLack of fixed outcome
open-endedness · multivalence · elusiveness · slipperiness · imprecision · looseness · indefiniteness
Lack of precision
- mistakeWrong action or decision
- miscalculationError in estimation
- discrepancyDifference between expected and actual
- misstatementIncorrect assertion of fact
misreport · fault · oversight · slip · blunder · misstep · flaw · typo
Informed guess at quantity
- estimationApproximate value judgment
- guesstimateRough, intuitive calculation
- ballparkSports venue or estimate
- roundingAdjusting to simpler values
nearness · closeness · proximity · roundoff · truncation · interpolation · extrapolation
Lack of firm belief
- indeterminacyLack of fixed outcome
- tentativenessState of being uncertain
- unpredictabilityState resisting forecasts
- speculationUnproven theorizing or risky investment
conjecture · questionability · dubiousness · inconclusiveness · unreliability · untrustworthiness · fallibility
vagueness
Absence of precision
- fuzzinessIndistinct or unclear quality
- approximationNear but inexact value
- loosenessState of not tight
roughness · coarseness · blurriness · sketchiness · generality · broadness · indefiniteness · sloppiness · crudeness · woolliness
equivocation
Ambiguous language avoiding commitment
- polysemyWord having related meanings
- unclearnessAbsence of clarity
- obscurityState of being unknown
indeterminacy · open-endedness · multivalence · elusiveness · slipperiness · imprecision · looseness · indefiniteness
inaccuracy
Lack of precision
- mistakeWrong action or decision
- miscalculationError in estimation
- discrepancyDifference between expected and actual
misstatement · misreport · fault · oversight · slip · blunder · misstep · flaw · typo · misprint
estimate
Informed guess at quantity
- estimationApproximate value judgment
- guesstimateRough, intuitive calculation
- ballparkSports venue or estimate
rounding · nearness · closeness · proximity · roundoff · truncation · interpolation · extrapolation
doubt
Lack of firm belief
- indeterminacyLack of fixed outcome
- tentativenessState of being uncertain
- unpredictabilityState resisting forecasts
speculation · conjecture · questionability · dubiousness · inconclusiveness · unreliability · untrustworthiness · fallibility
inexactitudeexactitude
Perfect correctness in detail
precision · accuracy · exactness · correctness · preciseness
inexactitudetruth
Accordance with reality
veracity · accuracy · factuality · truthfulness · verity
inexactitudetruthfulness
Habit of not lying
honesty · veracity · candor · forthrightness · directness
exact, inexact, exactness, exactitude, inexactness, inexactly