What does “certainly” mean?
- 1
adverbwithout any doubt
It will certainly rain later today.
- 2
adverbused as a polite way of saying yes
“Could you pass the salt?” “Certainly.”
Certainly at a glance
- Part of speech
- adverb
- CEFR level
- A2 (elementary)
- Pronunciation
- /ˈsɜrtnli/ · SUR-tun-lee
How to use “certainly” correctly
“Certainly” as a one-word answer sounds polite and helpful, often used in shops and restaurants.
Synonyms, opposites and related words
Synonyms (similar meaning)
- definitely
- surely
- of course
“certainly” is on these word lists
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