decidedly
Americanadverb
-
definitely or unambiguously; without qualification.
The many reviews I’ve read of that book have been decidedly lukewarm.
-
in a way that is free from hesitation or wavering; resolutely.
The heightened tension is occasioned by suicide bombers who have decidedly chosen death over life.
Etymology
Origin of decidedly
Explanation
Something described as being decidedly a certain way is absolutely that way, with no hint of doubt. If a character in a movie is decidedly evil, there's no question in your mind about it, it's so clearly true. The adverb decidedly is good for providing a strong emphasis. Your mom might be decidedly unhappy about your new car, or your grades might be decidedly improving this semester. In both cases, these things are undeniably clear. Decidedly comes from the adjective decided, or "resolute," from the Latin root decidere, "to decide or determine."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Global Payments, 4.7 times earnings, and Fiserv, seven times, are heavily indebted players in a decidedly unsexy part of fintech: processing card payments for merchants.
From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026
The Technology Business Programming Network, beloved by decidedly “online” technology insiders, has been acquired by OpenAI for a figure in the “low hundreds of millions” of dollars, according to the Financial Times.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 3, 2026
Once shooting was done, she says she decompressed by watching “SpongeBob SquarePants” and decidedly more wholesome fare, “just to make sure that the brain was cleared out.”
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026
Along Portugal’s main north-south highway, there are more than enough bland American-style rest stops, but one turnoff decidedly worth the detour is the 45-minute road to Batalha.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026
Hazel was decidedly late, and she had endured enough days with Mrs. Jacobs to know how this was going to go.
From "Breadcrumbs" by Anne Ursu
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
