certainly

[ sur-tn-lee ]

adverb

1. with certainty; without doubt; assuredly:

   I'll certainly be there.

2. yes, of course:

   Certainly, take the keys.

3. to be sure; surely:

   He certainly is successful.

certainly

/ ˈsɜːtənlɪ /

adverb

1. with certainty; without doubt

   he certainly rides very well

sentence substitute

1. by all means; definitely: used in answer to questions

Word History and Origins

Origin of certainly¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English; certain + -ly

Example Sentences

It’s certainly well beyond the power of any docudrama to take it in whole, and the strength of FX’s “Say Nothing” — a nine-episode historical drama now streaming on Hulu — is that it doesn’t try to.

From Los Angeles Times

As most of us won’t regard the IRA as an army at war, as it styled itself, but a terrorist organization — as was, certainly, its opposite number, the Ulster Defense Assn. — our hope will be that the sisters survive the IRA as much as their smuggling expeditions, bank robberies and prison terms.

From Los Angeles Times

One can certainly discuss this limited series divorced from other critically acclaimed shows, but it’s more interesting to view it as part of a continuum that speaks to our present, whether thematically or parabolically.

From Salon

All this work is certainly challenging.

From Los Angeles Times

It was an environmental appeal he crafted not just in earnest — which he certainly was — but also because he thought it was one of the strongest rationales that the United States should remain predominantly white.

From Salon

Related Words

• absolutely
• assuredly
• exactly
• surely