precisely only one

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "precisely only one" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to emphasize that there is exactly one of something, with a focus on the precision of that quantity. Example: "In this experiment, there is precisely only one variable that we need to control for accurate results."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

While these Amendments profoundly changed the Constitution in many important ways, guaranteeing liberty and equality, ending slavery, expanding the right to vote, increasing the power of the federal government, applying the limits of the Bill of Rights to the actions of the states, Lee mentions precisely only one Amendment, calling upon signers to "protect Second Amendment rights".

Huffington Post

More precisely, only one student was determined to select GP/FM for his residency program, whereas only 5 more of the respondents were considering it as one of it's choices.

BMC Medical Education

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

57 human-written examples

So the choice of a highly conserved and specific sequence, is necessary to precisely suppress only one member in a gene family.

Rice

On the other hand, Latin labels have only one one-to-one relation phoneme-height, precisely /e/-Re, whereas Anglo-Saxon labels have two (F-/e/ and A-/ei/).

Plosone

Meanwhile in League Two, eight of the 18 teams in action scored precisely two goals and only one scored one – Luton, beaten at the death by a 96th-minute Barnet penalty.

The Guardian - Sport

More precisely, for a given only one element can be chosen freely for each user so that (26) is not violated.

EURASIP Journal on Wireless Communications and Networking

More precisely, in our computations, only one set of the parameters (namely, the proportional constant α for the local residual, the relaxation parameter τ in the Newton-iteration, the weight μ in the WENO scheme and the number of smoothing steps in the multigrid solver) is employed for various geometrical configurations and free-stream configurations.

Journal of Computational Physics

Moreover, for α fixed large enough, it seems that there does not exist a large spectrum of periodic solutions as in the case where K ( s, u ) = δ s = 0 ; more precisely, we numerically obtain only one periodic solution (see Figs. 3 and 4).

The Journal of Mathematical Neuroscience (JMN)

The auditor was an unheard-of firm, Friehling & Horowitz, with precisely three employees and only one accountant.

Huffington Post

More precisely, 738 women reported only one chronic disease, 285 reported two chronic diseases and 118 reported at least three chronic diseases.

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth

With combined DPD and TS gene expressions, both response and survival could be predicted more precisely than on the bases of only one gene expression.

British Journal of Cancer

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "precisely only one" when you want to emphasize the accuracy and exclusivity of a single item or option. This phrase adds a layer of formality and precision to your writing.

Common error

Avoid using "precisely only one" in contexts where a simpler phrase like "exactly one" or "just one" would suffice. Overuse can make your writing sound overly formal or stilted.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "precisely only one" functions as an adverbial modifier that emphasizes a singular quantity with a high degree of accuracy. It specifies that there is no more and no less than one of the item in question. Ludwig AI confirms its correctness.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

Science

50%

News & Media

50%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Social Media

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "precisely only one" is a grammatically correct but relatively rare expression used to emphasize the exactness and exclusivity of a single item or occurrence. While Ludwig AI confirms its grammatical correctness, it's more formal than alternatives like "exactly one" or "just one". It appears primarily in scientific and news-related contexts where clarity and precision are paramount. When writing, consider whether the emphasis on accuracy is truly necessary, as overuse can make your writing sound stilted.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

exactly one

This alternative is more direct and common, lacking the emphasis on precision.

just one

This alternative is simpler and focuses on the singularity of the item.

solely one

This alternative emphasizes exclusivity, highlighting that no other options exist.

specifically one

This alternative highlights the specificity of the item, implying a deliberate selection.

uniquely one

This alternative stresses the uniqueness of the single item.

precisely a single

Reorders the components and replaces "one" with "a single" to slightly alter the emphasis while retaining precision.

only one

Omits "precisely" simplifying the sentence but weakening the focus on precision.

one and only one

Adds redundancy for emphasis, extending the expression but underscoring singularity.

one exact

Inverts the order of the words, shifting slightly the emphasis, keeping the precision.

accurately just one

Replaces "precisely" with "accurately" while retaining a similar focus on exactness and exclusivity.

FAQs

What does "precisely only one" mean?

The phrase "precisely only one" emphasizes that there is exactly one of something and highlights the accuracy and exclusivity of that single item or option.

When is it appropriate to use "precisely only one" in writing?

Use "precisely only one" when you want to add a layer of formality and precision to your writing, emphasizing that there is exactly one item and no other possibilities. However, do not overuse it, and consider using "exactly one" or "just one" in less formal contexts.

Are there alternatives to "precisely only one" that I can use?

Yes, you can use alternatives like "exactly one", "just one", or "solely one", depending on the level of emphasis and formality you want to convey.

Is "precisely only one" grammatically correct?

Yes, "precisely only one" is grammatically correct, although it is more emphatic and formal than alternatives like "exactly one" or "just one".