certainly

cer·tain·ly

 (sûr′tn-lē)

adv.

1. Undoubtedly; definitely: This is certainly not my writing.

2. By all means; of course: You may certainly join us.

3. Surely: They certainly are hard workers.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

certainly

(ˈsɜːtənlɪ)

adv

with certainty; without doubt: he certainly rides very well.

sentence substitute

by all means; definitely: used in answer to questions

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

cer•tain•ly

(ˈsɜr tn li)

adv.

1. without doubt; assuredly: I'll certainly be there.

2. yes, of course: Certainly, take the keys.

3. surely; to be sure: She certainly is successful.

[1250–1300]

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

certainly

1. emphasizing and agreeing

Certainly is used to emphasize statements. You often use certainly when you are agreeing with something that has been said or confirming that something is true.

It certainly looks wonderful, doesn't it?

Ellie was certainly a student at the university but I'm not sure about her brother.

Be Careful!
Don't confuse certainly and surely. You use surely to express disagreement or surprise.

Surely you care about what happens to her.

Both British and American speakers use certainly to respond positively to a question or statement.

'Do you see this as a good result?' – 'Oh, certainly.'

American speakers also use surely in this way.

'Can I have a drink?' – 'Why, surely.'

2. position in sentence

Certainly is usually used to modify verbs.

If there is no auxiliary verb, you put certainly in front of the verb, unless the verb is be.

It certainly gave some of her visitors a fright.

If the verb is be, certainly can go either in front of it or after it. It usually goes after it.

That certainly isn't true.

If there is an auxiliary verb, you usually put certainly after the auxiliary verb.

He'd certainly proved his point.

If there is more than one auxiliary verb, you usually put certainly after the first one. Certainly can also go in front of the first auxiliary verb.

He will certainly be able to offer you advice.

The roadway certainly could be widened.

If you use an auxiliary verb without a main verb, you put certainly in front of the auxiliary verb.

'I don't know whether I've succeeded or not.' – 'Oh, you certainly have.'

You can also put certainly at the beginning of a sentence.

Certainly it was not the act of a sane man.

3. 'almost certainly'

If you think that something is true, but you are not quite sure about it, you can use almost certainly.

She will almost certainly be left with some brain damage.

Be Careful!
Don't put 'nearly' in front of certainly.

---

surely

– definitely – certainly – naturally

1. 'surely'

You use surely for emphasis when you are objecting to something that has been said or done.

'I can have it ready for next week.' – 'Surely you can get it done sooner than that?'

Their lawyers claim that they have not broken any rules, but surely this is not good practice.

2. 'definitely' and 'certainly'

Don't use 'surely' simply to give strong emphasis to a statement. Use definitely.

They were definitely not happy.

The call definitely came from your phone.

In British English, you don't use 'surely' when you are agreeing with something that has been said, or confirming that something is true. Use certainly.

Ellie was certainly a student at the university but I'm not sure about her brother.

'You like him, don't you?' – 'I certainly do.'

American speakers use both surely and certainly to agree with requests and statements.

'It is still a difficult world for women.' – 'Oh, certainly.'

Surely, yes, I agree with that.

Don't use 'surely' to say emphatically that something will happen in the future. Use definitely or certainly.

The conference will definitely be postponed.

If nothing is done, there will certainly be problems.

3. 'naturally'

Don't use 'surely' to emphasize that something is what you would expect in particular circumstances. Use naturally.

His sister was crying, so naturally Sam was upset.

Naturally, some of the information will be irrelevant.

Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012

Thesaurus

Adv.

1.

certainly - definitely or positively (`sure' is sometimes used informally for `surely'); "the results are surely encouraging"; "she certainly is a hard worker"; "it's going to be a good day for sure"; "they are coming, for certain"; "they thought he had been killed sure enough"; "he'll win sure as shooting"; "they sure smell good"; "sure he'll come" for certain, for sure, sure, sure as shooting, surely, sure enough colloquialism - a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

certainly

adverb definitely, surely, truly, absolutely, undoubtedly, positively, decidedly, without doubt, unquestionably, undeniably, without question, unequivocally, indisputably, assuredly, indubitably, doubtlessly, come hell or high water, irrefutably I'll certainly do all I can to help.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

certainly

adverb

Without question:

absolutely, doubtless, doubtlessly, positively, undoubtedly.

The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Translations

بالتَّأكيدبِلَا شَكّطَبْعاً!طَبْعا، بالتَّأكيد

jistěovšemsamozřejměurčitě

bestemthelt bestemthelt sikkertselvfølgelig

natürlichsicherfreilichgewisssicherlich

βεβαίωςοπωσδήποτεσίγουρα

ciertamentepor supuestosegurosin dudadefinitivamente

بطور محرز

varmasti

certainementbien sûrassurémentcertesévidemment

בוודאותבוודאי

sigurno

föltétlenül

Auîvitaî, aî sjálfsögîuvissulega, aî sjálfsögîuvissulega, áreiîanlega

certamenteovvio

確かに

확실히

beslist

sikkertvisstbestemtja visst!klart !

na pewno

certamentesem dúvida

bineînţelesdesigur

конечно

isteže

gotovosevedazagotovo

säkert

อย่างแน่นอน

kesinliklekuşkusuzmemnuniyetlemutlakaşüphesiz

chắc chắn

一定当然的确

certainly

[ˈsɜːtənlɪ] ADV

1. (= undoubtedly) → con toda certeza, sin duda alguna
if nothing is done there will certainly be an economic crisis → si no se hace nada, con toda certeza or sin duda alguna se producirá una crisis económica
your answer is almost certainly right → casi seguro que or casi con seguridad tu respuesta está bien
it is certainly true that → desde luego es verdad or cierto que ...

2. (= definitely) something should certainly be done about that → decididamente, deberían hacer algo al respecto
I will certainly get it finished by tomorrow → definitivamente lo termino para mañana
it's certainly better → desde luego es mucho mejor
this computer is certainly an improvement on the old one → este ordenador es sin ninguna duda mejor que el antiguo
it certainly impressed me → ya lo creo que me impresionó
I shall certainly be there → no faltaré, seguro que estaré
you certainly did that well → desde luego eso lo hiciste bien
I would certainly like to try → desde luego (que) me gustaría probar
such groups most certainly exist → esos grupos existen con toda seguridad

3. (in answer to questions, requests) "could you give me a lift?" - "certainly!" → -¿me podrías llevar? -¡claro (que sí)! or ¡por supuesto! or ¡faltaría más!
certainly madam! → ¡con mucho gusto, señora!, ¡por supuesto, señora!
"wouldn't you agree?" - "oh, certainly" → -¿estás de acuerdo? -sí, desde luego
"had you forgotten?" - "certainly not" → -¿se le había olvidado? -por supuesto que no or claro que no
"would you ever eat snake?" - "certainly not!" → -¿comerías serpiente? -¡qué va!
"will you accept his offer?" - "certainly not!" → -¿vas a aceptar su oferta? -¡qué va! or ¡de ninguna manera!
"can I go on my own?" - "certainly not!" → -¿puedo ir sola? -¡de eso nada! or ¡ni hablar!

4. (= granted) certainly, she has potential, but → desde luego tiene posibilidades, pero ..., no hay duda de que tiene posibilidades, pero ...

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

certainly

[ˈsɜː^rt^ənli] adv

(= definitely) [seem, appear] → certainement; [think, expect] → vraiment
I certainly expected something better → Je m'attendais vraiment à quelque chose de mieux.
So it was a surprise? - It certainly was!
BUT C'était donc une surprise? - Ça oui alors!.
certainly not! → certainement pas!
it's certainly true that ... → il ne fait aucun doute que ...

(= of course) → bien sûr

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

certainly

adv (= admittedly) → sicher(lich); (= positively, without doubt) → bestimmt, gewiss (geh); it is certainly true that … → es ist sicherlich richtig, dass …; certainly not! → ganz bestimmt nicht, auf keinen Fall!; I certainly will not! → ich denke nicht daran!; certainly! → sicher!, gewiss! (geh)

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

certainly

[ˈsɜːt/ənlɪ] adv → certamente, certo
certainly! → (ma) certo!
certainly not! → no di certo!
I shall certainly be there → ci sarò sicuramente, ci sarò certamente

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

certain

(ˈsəːtn) adjective

1. true or without doubt. It's certain that the world is round. seker مُؤَكَّد сигурен certo jistý sicher sikker αληθινός, αδιαμφισβήτητοςcierto vaieldamatu مسلم؛ بی تردید tosi certainודאי, בטוח निश्चित siguran, nedvojben biztos pasti einhver, nokkur certo, indubbio 確かな 의심 없는 tikras drošs; nešaubīgs pasti zekersikker, visspewny يقينى، متيقن: ټاكلى: داعتمادوړ: نه تيريدونكى certo sigur несомненный istý nedvomen izvestan sann ซึ่งแท้จริง kuşkusuz, şüphesiz 千真萬確的，無疑的 певний, відомий سچ ، بلا شک و شبہ đích xác 确凿的，无疑的

2. sure. I'm certain he'll come; He is certain to forget; Being late is a certain way of losing one's job. seker مُتَأَكِّد убеден seguro jistý, zaručený sicher sikker βέβαιοςseguro kindel مطمئن varma certainבטוח पक्का siguran biztos yakin viss, öruggur sicuro 確かな 확실한 tikras, įsitikinęs drošs; noteikts mesti zekersikker, viss, overbevist ompewny متیقن seguro sigur уверенный istý prepričan; zanesljiv siguran säker ที่มั่นใจ emin, hiç kuşkusuz, kesin 確信的 упевнений یقینی chắc chắn 确信的

3. one or some, not definitely named. certain doctors; a certain Mrs Smith; (also pronoun) certain of his friends. seker معيّن، ما известен certo jakýsi, nějaký; někdo bestimmt vis; bestemt κάποιοςcierto teatav, mõningad یکی از؛ برخی از määrätty certainמישהו असंदिग्ध određen, neki bizonyos seorang tiltekinn, viss, ákveðinn certo; qualche, qualcuno ある 어떤 kažkoks, kažkuris kāds; zināms seorang zeker, bepaaldviss, bestemtpewien د برخه certo anumit некоторый; некий nejaký; niekto neki; nekateri izvesni viss ไม่มีชื่อเฉพาะ bir, bazı, kimi 某個或某些 певний کوئی ، کوئی ایک nào đó 某个或某些

4. slight; some. a certain hostility in his manner; a certain amount. seker قَليل някакъв certo jistý, určitý gewiß vis σχετικός, κάποιοςcierto teatav کم؛ اندک tietynasteinen certainמסוים कुछ neki egy kevés sedikit viss, nokkur certo ある程度の 어느 정도의 tam tikras, kažkoks zināms tertentu zekervisspewien لږ certo anumit некоторый istý določen određeni viss บางอย่าง biraz, bir miktar 一些 якийсь قدرے ، تھوڑا سا phần nào 一些

ˈcertainly adverb

1. definitely. I can't come today, but I'll certainly come tomorrow. sekerlik, beslis بالتَّأكيد определено certamente určitě, jistě bestimmt helt sikkert; helt bestemt σίγουραseguro kindlasti حتماً؛ یقیناً varmasti certainement בְּוַדַאי निश्चित रूप से zacijelo, dakako biztosan pasti vissulega, áreiðanlega certamente 確かに 확실히 tikrai noteikti pastinya zekersikkert, bestemtna pewno حتمن de certeza sigur непременно určite gotovo svakako bestämt, otvivelaktigt อย่างแน่นอน mutlaka, kesinlikle 一定 звичайно یقیناً chắc chắn 一定

2. of course. You may certainly have a chocolate. natuurlik طَبْعا، بالتَّأكيد разбира се certamente samozřejmě natürlich selvfølgelig βεβαίωςdesde luego, por supuesto muidugi مسلماً tietenkin certainementללא ספק अवश्य svakako föltétlenül tentu vissulega, að sjálfsögðu certamente きっと 물론 žinoma protams sudah tentu natuurlijkvisst, selvfølgelignaturalnie مسلماَ certamente bineînţeles конечно samozrejme seveda svakako naturligtvis อย่างแน่นอน elbette, tabiî, kuşkusuz, şüphesiz 當然 неодмінно بے شک ، یقیناً tất nhiên 当然

interjection

of course. `May I borrow your typewriter?' `Certainly!'; `Certainly not!' ja, seker طَبْعاً! естествено certamente ovšem aber natürlich selvfølgelig φυσικά! (επιφ.) por supuesto muidugi البته totta kai certainementבוודאי निश्चित रूप से svakako hogyne! tentu saja Auðvitað, að sjálfsögðu certo!; no di certo! もちろん 물론 žinoma protams! sudah pasti natuurlijkklart !; så gjerne!; selvfølgelig!; ja visst!bezwzględnie خامخا certamente bine­­­­înţeles конечно iste(že), pravdaže seveda Naravno naturligtvis, absolut อย่างแน่นอน tabiî, hay hay, memnuniyetle 當然 звичайно قطعاً tất nhiên 当然

ˈcertainty – plural ˈcertainties – noun

1. something which cannot be doubted. It's a certainty that he will win. sekerheid أَمْرٌ مُؤَكَّدٌ несъмнен факт certeza jistá věc die Sicherheit vished; sikkerhed βεβαιότηταcerteza, seguridad kindel asi یقین؛ اطمینان itsestäänselvyys certitudeודאות निस्संदेह sigurnost, izvjesnost bizonyosság kepastian vissa certezza, cosa certa 確実なこと 확실성 tikras daiktas, neabejotinas dalykas drošība; noteiktība tanpa ragu-ragu zekerheidsikkerhet, visshetpewność, pewnik اطمينان، خاطرجمعى حقيقى، ايقان certeza несомненный факт istá vec gotovost izvesnost någonting säkert, en given sak ความแน่นอน besbelli, kesin 必然發生的事 безперечний факт تیقن ، یقینی بات điều chắc chắn 必然的事情

2. freedom from doubt. Is there any certainty of success? sekerheid يَقين убеденост certeza jistota die Gewißheit vished; sikkerhed βεβαιότηταcerteza kindlus قطعیت varmuus certitude בִּטָחוֹן निश्चितता sigurnost bizonyosság keyakinan vissa sicurezza 確実性 의심의 여지없이 tikrumas pārliecība kepastian zekerheidsikkerhet, visshetpewność ازادى، خپلواكى، استقلال اختيار، سپينوالى (دلهجى صراحت): اسانتيا certeza certitudine уверенность istota zanesljivost izvesnost visshet สิ่งที่แน่นอน kesinlik 毫無疑問，確定性 упевненість بلا شبہ sự tin chắc 亳无疑问，确定的事

for certain

definitely. She may come but she can't say for certain. vir seker بِالتَّأكيد със сигурност com certeza najisto, určitě ganz sicher bestemt; med sikkerhed σίγουρα con certeza, con toda seguridad kindlalt بدون شک؛ قطعاً varmasti avec certitude בְּווַדַאוּת निश्चित sigurnost biztosan dengan keyakinan með vissu di sicuro 確かに 확실히 tikrai droši; noteikti semestinya met zekerheid med sikkerhet, sikkertna pewno صریح com certeza (în mod) sigur наверняка určite zagotovo sasvim sigurno säkert, med säkerhet อย่างชัดเจน kesin olarak 肯定地 впевнено یقیناً بالیقین hoàn toàn chắc chắn 肯定地

make certain

to act so that, or check that, something is sure. Make certain you arrive early; I think he's dead but you'd better make certain. seker maak يَتَأكَّد уверявам се assegurar-se ujistit se, přesvědčit se sich vergewissern sikre sig βεβαιώνομαιasegurar (millegi eest) hoolt kandma, üle kontrollima مطمئن شدن؛ اطمینان به عمل آوردن varmistaa s'assurer que לְווַדֵא निश्चित करना sigurnost megbizonyosodik vmiről memastikan ganga úr skugga um assicurarsi, accertarsi 確かめる 확실히 하다 pa(si)tikrinti, daryti taip, kad būtum tikras pārliecināties pastikan zorgenforsikre seg om upewniać się ډاډ وركول، ذمه وهل، علم راوړل، اعتباري كول، يقيني كول، يقيني ګڼل، پرغاړه اخستل، بيمه كول ter a certeza a se asigura (că) удостовериться uistiť sa, presvedčiť sa prepričati se uveriti se förvissa sig om อย่างชัดเจน garantiye almak, emin olmak 確定 упевнитися в чомусь یقینی بنانا kiểm tra lại 弄清楚

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

certainly

→ بِلَا شَكّ jistě bestemt sicher οπωσδήποτε ciertamente, definitivamente varmasti certainement sigurno certamente 確かに 확실히 beslist sikkert na pewno certamente конечно säkert อย่างแน่นอน kesinlikle chắc chắn 的确

Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009