decisively

[dih-sahy-siv-lee]

adverb

1. in a way that settles a matter and puts an end to debate or speculation.

   The question, "Do habitable conditions for life exist elsewhere in the galaxy?" has been decisively answered in the affirmative.

2. in a firm and resolute way, without wavering.

   The Executive Office must be able to move quickly and decisively to preserve endangered ecosystems, history, or prehistory on federal land.

3. in a clear or definite way; indisputably.

   She has not only decisively beaten but ended the political career of every candidate who ran against her.

Other Word Forms

• nondecisively adverb
• predecisively adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of decisively¹

decisive ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

Indiana stormed into big boy Oregon’s duck pond and decisively beat an undefeated No. 2 superpower riding an 18-game home winning streak, 30-20.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

This week, the stock pulled back to its 21-day exponential moving average—a metric that places emphasis on recent price changes—for the first time since moving decisively upward from $260.97 last month.

Read more on Barron's

The failure to respond decisively is the geopolitical equivalent of runaway deficit spending.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

"But we have to decisively address this Republican health care crisis that is devastating hard-working American taxpayers."

Read more on BBC

For Leverkusen, there were periods of games when Wirtz would walk or lightly jog to recover, allowing him to use his burst more decisively.

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Related Words

• actually 
• categorically 
• definitely 
• doubtless 
• exactly 
• positively 
• precisely 
• really 
• surely 
• truly 
• unconditionally 
• unquestionably