certainly

adverb

cer·​tain·​ly ˈsər-tᵊn-lē How to pronounce certainly (audio)
1
: in a manner that is certain : with certainty
2
: it is certain that : assuredly

Examples of certainly in a Sentence

It will certainly rain tomorrow. This year's festival was certainly much better than last year's. I'm certainly going to try. The new version is most certainly easier to use. The snake that bit her was almost certainly poisonous.
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'certainly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of certainly was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near certainly

Cite this Entry

“Certainly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/certainly. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

certainly

adverb
cer·​tain·​ly ˈsərt-ᵊn-lē How to pronounce certainly (audio)
1
: in a manner that is certain : for certain
the earliest voyage of which anything is certainly known
2
: without doubt : surely
certainly you can do better than that

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