certainly
adverb
cer·tain·ly
ˈsər-tᵊn-lē 
Synonyms
Examples of certainly in a Sentence
It will certainly rain tomorrow.
This year's festival was certainly much better than last year's.
I'm certainly going to try.
The new version is most certainly easier to use.
The snake that bit her was almost certainly poisonous.
Recent Examples on the Web
Those crashes, while found to be less dangerous than full-speed collisions at intersections, represent injuries, property damage, and certainly during the 1.2% or 11 crashes that were fatal, emotional trauma for the other drivers involved.
—
The Denver Post Editorial Board, The Denver Post, 17 Apr. 2024
In any case, the marketing effort is certainly causing some online buzz as Civil War heads into its second weekend.
—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Apr. 2024
The case to bring Bolton back certainly would consider his intangibles.
—Jesse Newell, Kansas City Star, 17 Apr. 2024
And with Clark's star power, as well as household names like Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso entering the league, the WNBA is certainly on the right track to accommodating higher salaries for players.
—Natasha Dye, Peoplemag, 16 Apr. 2024
Stan Answer: There certainly are drawbacks to focusing on quantity and ghosting employers.
—Johnny C. Taylor Jr., USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2024
The Western response to these negotiations, while a far cry from Putin’s caricature, was certainly lukewarm.
—Samuel Charap, Foreign Affairs, 16 Apr. 2024
The starting point for the recipe, according to Fernandes, comes from customers’ habit of blending Heinz Classic BBQ sauce with the company’s mayo; the color comes from what is certainly a hefty amount of beet root extract.
—Kate Krader, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2024
Average wages in March were up 4.1% — almost certainly outpacing the rise in prices.
—Scott Horsley, NPR, 5 Apr. 2024
The Denver Post Editorial Board, The Denver Post, 17 Apr. 2024
In any case, the marketing effort is certainly causing some online buzz as Civil War heads into its second weekend.
—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Apr. 2024
The case to bring Bolton back certainly would consider his intangibles.
—Jesse Newell, Kansas City Star, 17 Apr. 2024
And with Clark's star power, as well as household names like Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso entering the league, the WNBA is certainly on the right track to accommodating higher salaries for players.
—Natasha Dye, Peoplemag, 16 Apr. 2024
Stan Answer: There certainly are drawbacks to focusing on quantity and ghosting employers.
—Johnny C. Taylor Jr., USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2024
The Western response to these negotiations, while a far cry from Putin’s caricature, was certainly lukewarm.
—Samuel Charap, Foreign Affairs, 16 Apr. 2024
The starting point for the recipe, according to Fernandes, comes from customers’ habit of blending Heinz Classic BBQ sauce with the company’s mayo; the color comes from what is certainly a hefty amount of beet root extract.
—Kate Krader, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2024
Average wages in March were up 4.1% — almost certainly outpacing the rise in prices.
—Scott Horsley, NPR, 5 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'certainly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of certainly was
in the 14th century
Phrases Containing certainly
Dictionary Entries Near certainly
Cite this Entry
“Certainly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/certainly. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
certainly
adverb
cer·tain·ly
ˈsərt-ᵊn-lē
1
: in a manner that is certain : for certain
the earliest voyage of which anything is certainly known
2
: without doubt : surely
certainly you can do better than that
More from Merriam-Webster on certainly
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