strongly
Americanadverb
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with great strength or force.
wind blowing strongly from the west.
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in strong or convincing words.
We strongly urged him to go.
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with intensity; to a high degree.
It was strongly suspected that he had been fired.
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having a strong effect.
to taste strongly of vinegar.
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in a firm, solid, or secure manner.
a strongly fortified hill.
Etymology
Origin of strongly
First recorded before 1000; strong ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )
Explanation
The adverb strongly is useful for describing something that's done powerfully or forcefully. When a teacher speaks strongly, the class pays attention. If your parents strongly advise you not to borrow their car unless it's an emergency, they really mean it. When your friend says that she strongly dislikes roller coasters, it means she would not enjoy a surprise trip to an amusement park as a birthday present. Strongly means "with strength," and it comes from the adjective strong, with its Old English root word, strang, "physically powerful, forceful, or severe."
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.
They paid for the gut test which came back strongly positive.
From BBC • Jul. 7, 2026
However, their presence on an island inhabited by people strongly suggests an intentional and ongoing relationship.
From Science Daily • Jul. 5, 2026
Machado had strongly aligned herself with the U.S. president, even presenting him with her Peace Prize.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 2, 2026
Their findings, published in Science Advances, suggest that the apparent chemical reactivity of nanoconfined water depends strongly on factors such as density, pore size, wall flexibility, and surface chemistry.
From Science Daily • Jul. 2, 2026
This does not necessarily mean that the rhythms themselves are repetitive, but they do strongly suggest a repeated pattern of pulses.
From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones
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.
