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surgical
/ˈsɜːrdʒɪkəl/
precise and exact
The team made a surgical cut to the budget, eliminating waste without harming core programs.
The team made a precise and exact reduction to the budget, removing unnecessary expenses while preserving essential services.
Medicine
Medical
Relating to or used in surgery.
The patient underwent surgical intervention to remove the tumor.
The patient had an operation to remove the tumor.
This is the most common and literal sense of the word.
formal
Done with great precision and care.
The editor made a surgical correction to the manuscript.
The editor made a highly precise and careful correction to the manuscript.
Often used metaphorically to describe actions that are exact and efficient.
Engineering
military
Relating to or denoting military operations conducted with great precision.
The strike was a surgical operation, targeting only the enemy command center.
The strike was a highly precise military operation, hitting only the enemy command center without collateral damage.
Used to describe targeted strikes or actions with minimal unintended consequences.
Collocations
surgical strikea targeted military attack with minimal collateral damagesurgical precisionextreme accuracy and care
Pro Tip
Avoid Overuse
While 'surgical' is a strong word for precision, overusing it can dilute its impact. Reserve it for situations where extreme accuracy is truly relevant.
Gold Rule
Context Matters
Use 'surgical' in contexts where precision is the primary focus. It is not interchangeable with words like 'thorough' or 'detailed.'
Word Origin
From Latin *chirurgicus*, from Greek *cheirourgikós* (χειρουργικός), from *cheirourgós* (χειρουργός) meaning 'working by hand,' from *cheír* (χείρ) 'hand' + *ergon* (ἔργον) 'work.'
Usage Notes
The word is often used metaphorically in non-medical contexts to emphasize precision and efficiency. Avoid using it to describe actions that lack careful planning or execution.
Word Breakdown
surg-
from Latin *chirurgia*, meaning 'surgery' or 'handwork'
root-ical
adjectival suffix meaning 'relating to'
suffixEnglish Dictionary