genuinely

American

[jen-yoo-in-lee] / ˈdʒɛn yu ɪn li /

adverb

in a way that is real or true; authentically, honestly, or sincerely.

We encourage children to place themselves in other people’s shoes in order to genuinely understand and empathize with their emotions.
Ada is volunteering on the campaign because she genuinely believes in the candidate’s goals.

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of genuinely

genuine ( def. ) + -ly

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.

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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.

"I genuinely believed he had supernatural powers," says Aria, which is not her real name.

From BBC • May 14, 2026

According to the team, this represented an important confirmation that degraded collagen fragments were genuinely present inside the fossil.

From Science Daily • May 14, 2026

One star seemed genuinely enthralled that people recognized her and clapped when she came out, the other one seemed like he couldn’t get out of the show fast enough and get back to bed.

From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2026

And yes, sometimes that means recommending specialty ingredients genuinely worthy of a relative splurge: the good vanilla, candied citrus, Kewpie over the bottom-shelf mayonnaise.

From Salon • May 12, 2026

For the moment, she seemed genuinely keen to evade the Ravens, guiding him along little twisting deer-paths that clung to the best cover.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023