summarily
Americanadverb
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in a prompt or direct manner; immediately; straightaway.
-
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.
The government has had to identify the thousands of migrants who have remained for weeks to determine if they are entitled to asylum, while unaccompanied children cannot be summarily deported.
From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026
The crossings came after Spain's Supreme Court ruled that migrants stopped at sea while trying to reach Ceuta or Melilla cannot be summarily returned to Morocco.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
Dr. Prasad had overruled career staff by summarily refusing to review Moderna’s application.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
With her opponents, who she summarily dispatched with victories in the first and second rounds.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2026
For several reasons, however, this beguiling depiction cannot be summarily dismissed.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
