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british

certainly

[ sur-tn-lee ]

/ ˈsɜr tn li /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR certainly ON THESAURUS.COM

adverb

with certainty; without doubt; assuredly: I'll certainly be there.

yes, of course: Certainly, take the keys.

surely; to be sure: He certainly is successful.

Origin of certainly

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at certain, -ly

Words nearby certainly

cerro gordo, cerro tololo inter-american observatory, cert, cert., certain, certainly, certainty, certed, certes, certif., certifiable

Example sentences from the Web for certainly

Certainly, she seems to command near-total devotion among her clients.

How Taryn Toomey’s ‘The Class’ Became New York’s Latest Fitness Craze |Lizzie Crocker |January 9, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
The well, ghost or no ghost, is certainly a piece of history with a bold presence.

New York’s Most Tragic Ghost Loves Minimalist Swedish Fashion |Nina Strochlic |January 8, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
They will do it,” Revels declared, “as certainly as the sun shines in the heavens.

The Black Man Who Replaced Jefferson Davis in the Senate |Philip Dray |January 7, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
Certainly paid paternity leave is part of it (and in the U.S., we need paid maternity and paternity leave).

How Good Dads Can Change the World |Gary Barker, PhD, Michael Kaufman |January 6, 2015 |DAILY BEAST

I am fortunate that I have never been deathly ill, but whenever I have the stomach flu, I most certainly feel like I am dying.

Why My Norovirus Panic Makes Me Sick |Lizzie Crocker |January 5, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
If my uncle Doncaster were such a man, I should certainly make up to him greatly!

Modern Flirtations |Catherine Sinclair
The outlines were more rugged and varied than those of Samoa, and the growth of bush was certainly more luxuriant.

Stevenson's Shrine |Laura Stubbs
Certainly he never again found himself so well satisfied, or so much at home.

The Education of Henry Adams |Henry Adams
She had never owned anything so fine, and certainly it was most becoming.

A Little Girl in Old Washington |Amanda M. Douglas
I cannot tell you exactly what she felt when she saw Nino from her lofty window, but she was certainly glad with her whole heart.

A Roman Singer |F. Marion Crawford

British Dictionary definitions for certainly

certainly

/ (ˈsɜːtənlɪ) /

adverb

with certainty; without doubt he certainly rides very well

sentence substitute

by all means; definitely: used in answer to questions