summarily
Americanadverb
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in a prompt or direct manner; immediately; straightaway.
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without notice; precipitately.
to be dismissed summarily from one's job.
Etymology
Origin of summarily
Explanation
Whenever you do something summarily, you act without hesitating or even taking time to explain yourself. A strict babysitter might announce, "Bedtime!" and summarily flip off the lights and close the bedroom door. The adverb summarily describes things that are done in an abrupt, brief way, without any extra details. It's kind to explain to a job applicant why you're not hiring them, rather than summarily saying, "There's the door, goodbye." A related word is summary, meaning "brief," or "containing just the sum or substance." The Latin root, summa, means "whole or gist."
Vocabulary lists containing summarily
Ella Minnow Pea
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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.
Thousands of unaccompanied children cannot be summarily deported and require special protection.
From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026
It also gave him time to get to know his new players, each of whom have been summarily stunned by their veteran coach’s vitality.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026
In June, Spain's Supreme Court ruled that migrants stopped at sea while trying to reach Ceuta or Melilla could not be summarily returned to Morocco without due process.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
Then, in April, the court said: Now that we have the full case before us, we’re going to summarily reverse the district court for the reasons set forth in our five-paragraph scribble from December.
From Slate ● Jul. 13, 2026
But Jefferson would not rise to the bait, convinced as he was after his earlier exchange with Abigail that he had already made a heroic effort that had been summarily rejected.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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.
