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Synonyms

truly

American  
[troo-lee] / ˈtru li /

adverb

  1. in accordance with fact or truth; truthfully.

    Whatever his faults, he lived a life that can be truly said to be significant.

  2. legitimately; by right.

    Those assets and properties are no longer truly his.

  3. really; genuinely; honestly.

    We're truly sorry for the delay.

  4. to the fullest extent or degree.

    The property should be viewed to truly appreciate all it has to offer.

  5. to a great extent or degree.

    The film is littered with some truly dreadful sequences.

  6. sincerely (a conventional term used at the end of a letter).

    Yours truly, Allan Burns.

  7. exactly; accurately; correctly.

    The clock runs truly.

  8. rightly; properly; duly.

    To truly worship God, we must know Him and not be ignorant of His glorious nature.

  9. indeed; without doubt; verily.

    Truly, she is a fair-haired angel.

  10. Archaic. faithfully; loyally.

truly British  
/ ˈtruːlɪ /

adverb

  1. in a true, just, or faithful manner

  2. (intensifier)

    a truly great man

  3. indeed; really

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of truly

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

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.

But to truly take advantage of the TACO, investors needed to be invested before the opening bell on Wednesday, Hogan pointed out.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 8, 2026

Early’s performance is a truly remarkable highwire act, all the more so for the wig, padding and prosthetics he wears to play the character.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

"It is truly hard to describe. It is amazing."

From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026

Second are questions raised by modern physics about what can truly be considered "real."

From Science Daily • Apr. 6, 2026

Teams can’t truly go from Anchorage to Nome because the freeway system coming into Anchorage blocks the trail.

From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen

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.