sincerely

[ sin-seer-lee ]

adverb

1. in a way that is genuine, earnest, or truthful:

   We sincerely hope you can accept our apology.

2. a conventional term used at the end of a letter:

   Sincerely, Mrs. Rose McNair.

Word History and Origins

Origin of sincerely¹

First recorded in 1560–70; sincere ( def ) + -ly ( def ); sincerely def 2 recorded in 1700–05

Example Sentences

“This has exposed problems like inadequacies in the competition format and the lack of rigour in supervision. We sincerely apologise,” organisers said in a statement.

From BBC

Responding to the investigation, Harrods' current owners said they were “utterly appalled” by the allegations and that his victims had been failed - for which the store sincerely apologised.

From BBC

“I sovereign, Lidia Thorpe, do solemnly and sincerely swear that I will be faithful and I bear true allegiance to the colonising her majesty Queen Elizabeth II,” she said, as she was being sworn in.

From BBC

"I sincerely apologise to the victims who have been affected by my actions, and I am deeply sorry for the disappointment I have caused to all those who have cared and supported me," he added.

From BBC

"We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and concern caused to all involved," it said.

From BBC

Related Words

• candidly
• deeply
• earnestly
• genuinely
• naturally
• profoundly
• really
• truly
• truthfully
• wholeheartedly

How Do You Spell Sincerely?

Spelling tips for sincerely

The word sincerely is hard to spell because many often miss the second e, as in sincerly, or they include it in the wrong place, as in sincerley. Also, sometimes people may be confused about whether and where the s and c go, as in sinserely or cinserely. 

How to spell sincerely: The easiest way to remember how to spell sincerely is to start with the adjective sincere. This helps you include the second e in the right place, as sincer would be pronounced quite differently than sincere. Then, you turn sincere into an adverb by adding the typical adverb-forming suffix -ly, resulting in sincerely. To help you remember that sincerely has an s and then a c, keep in mind the phrase “sincere scout.” Scout uses an s followed by a c, just like sincere.