certainly

American  

[sur-tn-lee] / ˈsɜr tn li /

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 British  

/ ˈsɜːtənlɪ /

adverb

1. with certainty; without doubt

   he certainly rides very well

---

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

Etymology

Origin of certainly

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

Example Sentences

It certainly was no accident Butler was chosen to do so by the Patriots.

From Los Angeles Times

Concerns over the health impact of working long hours are certainly not new.

From BBC

If this was an indicator of the atmosphere in the team, it is certainly not positive, but it may have just been a moment of nervous focus.

From BBC

AI certainly could exacerbate those maladies, but we can better address them by taking advantage of the AI infrastructure build-out to spur overdue policy change.

From The Wall Street Journal

While the video assistant referee's intervention was ultimately correct, leading to Pawson to announce the decision to both teams and the fans, it certainly split the crowd.

From BBC

Related Words

• absolutely
• assuredly
• exactly
• surely