ably

¹

[ey-blee]

adverb

1. in an able manner; with skill or ability; competently.

-ably

²

1. a suffix combining -able and -ly that forms adverbs corresponding to adjectives ending in -able: commendably; dependably; tolerably .

ably

/ ˈeɪblɪ /

adverb

1. in a competent or skilful manner

Word History and Origins

Origin of ably¹

First recorded in 1350–1400, ably is from the Middle English word abelli. See able, -ly

Example Sentences

Maud Muir was immense, while Kelsey Clifford filled in ably for the injured Hannah Botterman at loose-head, bashing over for two tries.

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She is also alert in the backfield and, in contrast to last week where Australia poked holes with kicks, Rowland ably fielded whatever Loughborough Lightning team-mate Helen Nelson pinged her way.

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The show was ably organized by Getty curator Claire Lyons and curatorial assistant Nicole Budrovich, who worked with archaeologists and scholars at the Hellenic Ministry of Culture in Athens and the University of Cincinnati in Ohio.

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Grace Moore ably filled Wafer's shoes against Spain, scoring two tries and making 14 tackles in an all-round powerful display.

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Sonnenfeld ably placed the settlement in the context of CBS’s distinguished journalistic history, which he traced back to the work of Edward R. Murrow in the 1930s and later; under Murrow, he noted, the news division of CBS became “the gold standard of broadcast journalism.”

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Related Words

• adroitly 
• competently