genuinely
Americanadverb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of genuinely
Explanation
The adverb genuinely describes something done in a way that's real and true. If your friend is genuinely thrilled about your plan to backpack across China next summer, she means it. When you say something genuinely, you're honest. If you're genuinely worried about your friend getting hurt on her motorcycle, you'll beg her to wear a helmet. One theory about the origin of genuinely is that it comes from the Latin word for "knee," genu, referencing a custom of a father acknowledging his paternity by holding his baby on his knee.
Vocabulary lists containing genuinely
A Monster Calls
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Copper Sun
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"The Hunger Games" Vocabulary from Chapter 3
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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.
Under that description, no genuinely quantum behavior of gravity is required.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 30, 2026
He’s made one genuinely optimistic film, 2015’s “The Martian,” which also happens to be his biggest box office success.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
Ahead of the vote, KMT lawmaker Hsu Chiao-hsin said Taiwan "must genuinely encourage localisation and domestic production" to develop the industry.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
At the same time, legal experts who have been following the proceedings note that the company might also have been genuinely worried about losing.
From Slate ● Aug. 26, 2026
I’m not sure why I’m so determined—do I genuinely want to help this man or do I simply need to be better than Mom?
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
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.
