certainly

Valid in Scrabble

Scrabble points
14
Words With Friends
16
Letters
9
Pronunciation
/ˈsɜː.tn̩.li/
See all 3 pronunciations
/ˈsɜː.tn̩.li/ · /ˈsɝ.tn̩.li/ · [ˈsɝ.ʔn̩.li]

Definition of certainly

3 senses · 1 part of speech · etymology included

adv

  1. In a way which is certain; with certainty.
    “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.”
    “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.”
See all 3 definitions

adv

  1. In a way which is certain; with certainty.
    “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.”
    “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.”
  2. Without doubt, surely.
    “The accident was certainly caused by human error.”
    “That was certainly sweet of him.”
    “'I'm all grown up now' -'You certainly have (grown)!'”
    “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.”
    “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.”
  3. An emphatic affirmative answer; of course.
    “Would you like it with ice?  Certainly, and with lemon please.”

Definitions from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.

Etymology

From Middle English certeynly; equivalent to certain + -ly.

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