surely

American  

[shoor-lee, shur-] / ˈʃʊər li, ˈʃɜr- /

adverb

1. firmly; unerringly; without missing, slipping, etc.

2. undoubtedly, assuredly, or certainly.

   The results are surely encouraging.

3. (in emphatic utterances that are not necessarily sustained by fact) assuredly.

   Surely you are mistaken.

4. inevitably or without fail.

   Slowly but surely the end approached.

5. yes, indeed.

   Surely, I'll go with you!

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surely British  

/ ˈʃɔː-, ˈʃʊəlɪ /

adverb

1. without doubt; assuredly

   things could surely not have been worse

2. without fail; inexorably (esp in the phrase slowly but surely )

3. (sentence modifier) am I not right in thinking that?; I am sure that

   surely you don't mean it?

4. rare in a sure manner

5. archaic safely; securely

6. (sentence substitute) willingly; of course; yes

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Commonly Confused

See sure.

Etymology

Origin of surely

First recorded in 1300–50, surely is from the Middle English word surliche. See sure, -ly

Example Sentences

Over the years, as The Beatles went through the varying waves of new popularity and coolness, I assumed that at some point, surely there would be an official release.

From Salon

Bulls are surely admiring the gradual slope higher of the 200-day simple moving average.

From Barron's

Winning the Scudetto would surely enhance his chances of going to the World Cup with England.

From BBC

With Mariah Carey fully defrosted and mince pies disappearing at an alarming rate, families everywhere are poring over surely the most important item in any household - the Christmas TV listings guide.

From BBC

He has surely also ended any debate about his batting position for the remainder of this series and beyond.

From BBC

Related Words

• absolutely
• assuredly
• certainly
• clearly
• definitely
• evidently
• indeed
• inevitably
• inexorably
• plainly
• undoubtedly
• unquestionably