What does accurateness mean?
Accurateness is a noun denoting the quality of being accurate — that is, the state of being correct, precise, and free from error. It applies to measurements, statements, records, calculations, and any work whose value depends on matching the truth closely. In meaning it is identical to its far more common synonym 'accuracy'; however, 'accurateness' has become distinctly uncommon in modern usage, surviving mainly in formal, technical, or older texts. A writer today would almost always reach for 'accuracy' when describing, say, the reliability of a scientific instrument or the truthfulness of a report, reserving 'accurateness' for stylistic variety or historical flavor. The word belongs to a family built on the Latin root cura (care), reflecting the idea that careful attention produces correct results. Though rarely encountered, it remains fully understood by readers and offers a slightly archaic elegance when precision of expression matters.
nounThe quality or state of being accurate; correctness, precision, or exactness.
- The quality or state of being accurate; freedom from error; correctness or precision.
"The engineer was praised for the accurateness of every measurement she recorded."
"The auditor verified the accurateness of each figure before signing the report."
"Older dictionaries occasionally preferred 'accurateness' where modern writers would simply say 'accuracy'."
Accuracy's less famous sibling: 'accurateness' does exactly the same job as 'accuracy' — yet almost nobody uses it, making it a rare survivor of an older English habit of building nouns with '-ness'.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of accurateness
Accurateness derives from 'accurate', which English adopted in the early modern period from Latin accuratus, meaning 'done with care' or 'prepared carefully', formed from ad- ('to') plus cura ('care'). The suffix '-ness' was added to turn the adjective into an abstract noun denoting the quality itself. Its sibling noun 'accuracy', formed instead with the Latinate suffix '-acy', ultimately prevailed in everyday use, leaving 'accurateness' as the rarer variant. Cognates sharing the same Latin root include 'cure', 'curate', and 'curious'.
Related word forms
How accurateness is actually used
'Accurateness' is rare and somewhat old-fashioned; in contemporary English, 'accuracy' is overwhelmingly the preferred noun for this concept. When it appears at all, it tends to occur in formal, technical, or historical writing. There is no difference in meaning between the two forms — the choice is purely one of convention and register.
Easily confused with accurateness
Accuracy and accurateness mean the same thing, but accuracy is the standard modern noun while accurateness is a rarer alternative form.