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.
We have no doubt that the parents would benefit from being closer to the older brother’s family as they age, and we believe he genuinely cares about them.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
The UN refugee agency said this past week its staff were not allowed to meet returnees to confirm whether migrants' decisions "were genuinely free and informed".
From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026
London Victims' Commissioner Andrea Simon said the exemptions "have not included some offenders whose imminent release is a genuinely terrifying prospect for their victims".
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
The Spanish “REC”—purportedly forged out of the salvaged recordings of a news crew lost in a plague-zombie apartment building—was genuinely thrilling.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
They weren’t lying; they genuinely failed to understand the nature of the subprime CDO.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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.
