certainly
English
Etymology
From Middle English certeynly; equivalent to certain + -ly.
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈsɜːtn̩li/
- (General American, Canada) IPA(key): /ˈsɝtn̩li/, [ˈsɝʔn̩li]
Audio (US): (file)
Adverb
certainly (comparative more certainly, superlative most certainly)
- In a way which is certain; with certainty.
- 1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC:, I.iii.2.2:
- he verily thought he had young live frogs in his belly, qui vivebant ex alimento suo, that lived by his nourishment, and was so certainly persuaded of it, that for many years following he could not be rectified in his conceit.
- 1923, A. A. Hill, Automobile Dealer and Repairer, page 30:
- The torque was "built up" in the special back axle and the car crawled tankwise but very certainly over the obstacles without a jar or hesitation.
- Without doubt, surely.
- The accident was certainly caused by human error.
- That was certainly sweet of him.
- You may certainly join us for dinner.
- 1908, W[illiam] B[lair] M[orton] Ferguson, chapter IV, in Zollenstein, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:
- So this was my future home, I thought! Certainly it made a brave picture. I had seen similar ones fired-in on many a Heidelberg stein. Backed by towering hills, […] a sky of palest Gobelin flecked with fat, fleecy little clouds, it in truth looked a dear little city; the city of one's dreams.
- 2013 June 7, Gary Younge, “Hypocrisy lies at heart of Manning prosecution”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 26, page 18:
- WikiLeaks did not cause these uprisings but it certainly informed them. The dispatches revealed details of corruption and kleptocracy that many Tunisians suspected, but could not prove, and would cite as they took to the streets.
- An emphatic affirmative answer; of course.
- Would you like it with ice? Certainly, and with lemon please.
Synonyms
- (with certainty): absolutely, beyond doubt, indubitably, sure thing, undoubtedly, wis (obsolete), without a doubt
- (without doubt): definitely, doubtlessly, in fact, indeed, indisputably, indubitably, no doubt, really, sure, surely, truly, undoubtedly, unquestionably, wis (obsolete), without a doubt
- (emphatic affirmative): damn right, damn straight, fo shizzle, for sure, oh yeah, wye aye (dialect)
Coordinate terms
Derived terms
Translations
with certainty
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without doubt, surely
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emphatic affirmative answer
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
References
- “certainly”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
- “certainly”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
Categories:
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms suffixed with -ly
- English 3-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- English lemmas
- English adverbs
- English terms with quotations
- English terms with usage examples
- English modal adverbs
- English responses