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.
Recent Examples on the Web
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The infusion of the Sinhala element along with Buddhism could certainly be things of a later period. Rob Crossan, JSTOR Daily, 17 Jan. 2025 The conversation will certainly want to consider the perspectives of its shareholders as well as its workforce. Michael Peregrine, Forbes, 17 Jan. 2025 As artists go, this giant Kansas City Chiefs fan’s name might not be broadly known, but his giant, red, white and gold works — seen around the city by tens of thousands of people daily— certainly are. Eric Adler and, Kansas City Star, 17 Jan. 2025 The value of the new pact is almost certainly more than $500 million. Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 17 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for certainly 

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 20 Jan. 2025.

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 only event of which anything is certainly known
2
: without doubt : surely
certainly you can do it

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