expressly
Americanadverb
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for the particular or specific purpose; specially.
I came expressly to see you.
-
in a clear, direct, or definite manner; explicitly.
I asked him expressly to stop talking.
adverb
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for an express purpose; with specific intentions
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plainly, exactly, or unmistakably
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of expressly
A Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at express, -ly
Explanation
Something done expressly is done only for a very specific reason or purpose. Growing up, your grandparents' formal living room might have been used expressly for adult parties. A politician running for office might use campaign donations expressly for buying television ads, and a middle school student might use her school laptop expressly for chatting with her friends and posting photos online. In both cases, there is one very specific intention. The earliest, fourteenth century meaning of expressly was "in detail" or "plainly." By 1600, it came to mean "for the express purpose," from the Latin expressus, "clearly presented."
Vocabulary lists containing expressly
The Importance of Being Earnest
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The Merchant of Venice
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Pre-AP Theatre
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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.
Expressly enabling research into gun violence will help us discover what “common-sense” preventative measures should actually entail, and perhaps uncover less intuitive ways of saving lives in the process.
From Slate • Mar. 22, 2018
Expressly avoided in the Jones decision was any opinion on the Securities Act's constitutionality.
From Time Magazine Archive
Expressly it is written, not that they rejoice, but that there is joy in their presence,—before their faces.
From The Parables of Our Lord by Arnot, William
Expressly or impliedly the principal agrees to pay for the service rendered.
From Studies in Civics by McCleary, J. T. (James Thompson)
Expressly for that purpose had she come out in the rain.
From O. Henry Memorial Award Prize Stories of 1921 by Marshall, Edison
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.
