Synonyms

safely

American

[seyf-lee] / ˈseɪf li /

adverb

without harm or injury.

The travel team has arrived safely and on schedule.
without risk or danger.

While we sit safely in our air-conditioned homes complaining, he’s driving across the country working for change.
in a way that protects from loss, damage, or harm.

I wanted that piece of paper safely filed away, just in case I needed to look at it again.
without likelihood of being wrong; with reasonable assurance.

I think we can safely say that the zoo expects some puma kittens later this year!

Other Word Forms

quasi-safely adverb
supersafely adverb
unsafely adverb

Etymology

Origin of safely

safe + -ly

Explanation

Do something in a careful or cautious way, and you'll do it safely. The most important thing you'll learn in a drivers ed class is to drive safely. "Travel safely!" you might call to a departing friend. You're encouraging them to avoid danger as they make their way home. You can bike safely by wearing a helmet and using hand signals, and use power tools safely by following all the rules and focusing on your work. Safely comes from safe and its Latin root salvus, "uninjured or in good health."

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Vocabulary lists containing safely

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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.

NASA’s 10-day Artemis II mission to fly around the moon safely splashed down off the San Diego coast Friday, marking the end of humanity’s first flight to the moon in over 50 years.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2026

The four astronauts who flew in Nasa's Artemis II mission around the Moon have splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean after a flawless return.

From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026

When Kim finally spoke publicly of the move, he apologized for failing to bring them safely back home.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026

Officials have framed the mission as both a technical milestone and a proof of concept for the systems needed to safely transport astronauts beyond low Earth orbit and back again.

From Salon • Apr. 11, 2026

Master Gogolev sat scribbling his poems and sobbing in a corner, where he could safely be ignored.

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood

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