clearly

adverb

clear·​ly ˈklir-lē 

1

: in a clear manner

speaking clearly

2

: it is clear

clearly, a new approach is needed

Synonyms

• all right
• alright
• assuredly
• certainly
• definitely
• doubtless
• easily
• forsooth
• hands down
• inarguably
• incontestably
• incontrovertibly
• indeed
• indisputably
• plainly
• really
• so
• sure
• surely
• truly
• unarguably
• undeniably
• undoubtedly
• unquestionably

Examples of clearly in a Sentence

You should try to speak more clearly.

The mountain was clearly visible in the distance.

The problem is very clearly getting worse.

“A new approach is needed.” “Clearly.”

“The current method isn't working.” “Clearly not.”

Recent Examples on the Web

While seasonality is clearly a factor — September is often a quiet month at the Chinese box office as the summer season wanes and distributors hold their more commercial titles for release around the Oct. 1 or National Day public holidays – the downtrend is nevertheless steep. —Patrick Frater, Variety, 9 Sep. 2024

Keying the taxable event to repayment seems counterintuitive, but while disbursement only results in wealth being potentially accessed, it is clearly accessed when that debt is repaid. —Andrew Leahey, Forbes, 9 Sep. 2024

After a sleepy and sombre 2023 edition curtailed by strikes, the historic showcase was clearly overcompensating—and the result, on the whole, was pretty fabulous. —Radhika Seth, Vogue, 9 Sep. 2024

The song clearly touched a nerve, topping the Jamaican charts for weeks. —Reshma B, VIBE.com, 9 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

clearly

adverb

clear·​ly ˈkli(ə)r-lē 

1

: in a clear manner

was clearly visible

2

: without doubt or question

clearly something had to be done