dead-on

1. 1.

   accurate and to the point

   “a dead-on feel for characterization”

   “She avoids big scenes...preferring to rely on small gestures and dead-on dialogue”

   Similaraccurate

   colloquialism

Questions about dead-on

What does dead-on mean?

dead-on means "accurate and to the point".

How many syllables are in dead-on?

dead-on has 3 syllables and divides as de-a-d-on under the regular spelling rules. It is not in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary, so that comes from how the word is written rather than from a recorded pronunciation, and no stress or phonetic transcription is claimed for it.

Is dead-on a common word?

dead-on is banded "Uncommon" — turns up in careful writing rather than conversation. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.