truly

[ troo-lee ]

/ ˈtru li /

Save This Word!

adverb

in accordance with fact or truth; truthfully: Whatever his faults, he lived a life that can be truly said to be significant.

legitimately; by right: Those assets and properties are no longer truly his.

really; genuinely; honestly: We're truly sorry for the delay.

to the fullest extent or degree: The property should be viewed to truly appreciate all it has to offer.

to a great extent or degree: The film is littered with some truly dreadful sequences.

sincerely (a conventional term used at the end of a letter): Yours truly, Allan Burns.

exactly; accurately; correctly: The clock runs truly.

rightly; properly; duly: To truly worship God, we must know Him and not be ignorant of His glorious nature.

indeed; without doubt; verily: Truly, she is a fair-haired angel.

Archaic. faithfully; loyally.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "IS" VS. "ARE"

"Is" it time for a new quiz? "Are" you ready? Then prove your excellent skills on using "is" vs. "are."

Question 1 of 7

IS and ARE are both forms of which verb?

have

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of truly

First recorded before 1000; Middle English treuli, Old English trēowlīce; tru(e) + -ly

historical usage of truly

The English adverb truly is obviously composed of the adjective true and the suffix -ly, which is used to form adverbs as well as adjectives (such as friendly ). The Old English form is tréowlíce, which means “faithfully,” formed from tréowe “faithful, trustworthy” and the adverb suffix -líce, which becomes -ly in modern English.
Old English -líce ultimately derives from the Germanic noun līkom “body, form, appearance.” This Old English suffix means something like “having the form or appearance of,” and tréowlíce therefore means “appearing faithful, looking trustworthy.”
The Romance languages (such as Spanish, Italian, French) have chosen mind over body in forming adverbs. In Spanish, claro means “clear,” and its adverb is claramente; likewise, Italian chiaro and chiaramente. In Latin this would be a phrase composed of the noun mēns “mind” and the adjective clārus “clear”: clārā mente “with a clear mind.” Even today Spanish (and Portuguese) maintain mente in its original noun sense (and not as an adverb suffix) in a chain of adverbs: thus “distinctly and clearly” is distinta y claramente in Spanish ( distinta e claramente in Portuguese), a usage that also existed in Old Italian and Provençal.

Words nearby truly

Trujillo Alto, Truk Islands, T-rule, trull, trullo, truly, Truman, Truman Doctrine, Truman, Harry S., Truman-MacArthur controversy, Trumbo

How to use truly in a sentence

A truly effective content strategy will be customized for the platform you’re on and will account for the user behavior most characteristic of that platform.
How to drive digital innovation necessary during the pandemic|Nick Chasinov|September 16, 2020|Search Engine Watch
Many scientists say that quantum computers of the sort IBM and Google are building will require at least 1,000 qubits—and possibly as many as a million qubits—before the devices become truly commercially useful.
IBM plans a huge leap in superfast quantum computing by 2023|rhhackettfortune|September 15, 2020|Fortune
Start the dialogue, find out what your customer truly needs, and get to work delivering.
Deep Dive: How the Summer of 2020 forced brand marketing to change for the better|jim cooper|September 14, 2020|Digiday
Telfar has truly created a lane where luxury can and will be for everyone, by Clemens’s design.
Here’s Why Everyone Can’t Get Enough Telfar|Hope Wright|September 11, 2020|Essence.com

If your brand influencers truly create content relevant to and aligned with your target, it’s likely going to be far more visible on TikTok than on any other social network.
Unpacking the TikTok algorithm: Three reasons why it’s the most addictive social network|Brian Freeman|September 11, 2020|Search Engine Watch
That would truly be a milestone to celebrate—until you see what that record “diversity” actually means.
The Unbearable Whiteness of Congress|Dean Obeidallah|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
But he was always uncommonly gracious, a truly gentle man, willing to dispense wisdom and perspective when asked.
Ed Brooke: The Senate's Civil Rights Pioneer and Prophet of a Post-Racial America|John Avlon|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
To be a parent is to be able to offer truly unconditional love.
Dear Leelah, We Will Fight On For You: A Letter to a Dead Trans Teen|Parker Molloy|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The latest novel from Samantha Harvey is truly superb, but left its reviewer at a loss for how to describe it.
A Novel Nearly Impossible to Review|Nicholas Mancusi|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“I truly believe there is a Santa Claus” said Rep. Kerry Bentivolio.
Kerry Bentivolio: The Congressman Who Believes in Santa Claus|Ben Jacobs|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At last there appeared some probability of their accomplishing this, after a most curious and truly Mexican fashion.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
Truly it was a most enjoyable season and experience, but there is no joy without its alley here below—not even at the North Pole!
The Giant of the North|R.M. Ballantyne
What she meant neither the Reverend John Dodd, or any other male person, could ever truly know.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
Truly, with four or five thousand Chinese, the community would be well served and the country free from danger.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XX, 1621-1624|Various
Truly the flag of Britain was trailing in the mire, or these men would not have dared to address him in that fashion.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy

British Dictionary definitions for truly

truly

/ (ˈtruːlɪ) /

adverb

in a true, just, or faithful manner

(intensifier)a truly great man

indeed; really

truly

Origin of truly

historical usage of truly

Words nearby truly

Words related to truly

How to use truly in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for truly