Surely Definition & Meaning

American

British

Commonly Confused

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms surely American [shoor-lee, shur-] / ˈʃʊər li, ˈʃɜr- /

adverb

1. firmly; unerringly; without missing, slipping, etc.

2. undoubtedly, assuredly, or certainly.

   The results are surely encouraging.

3. (in emphatic utterances that are not necessarily sustained by fact) assuredly.

   Surely you are mistaken.

4. inevitably or without fail.

   Slowly but surely the end approached.

5. yes, indeed.

   Surely, I'll go with you!

surely British / ˈʃɔː-, ˈʃʊəlɪ /

adverb

1. without doubt; assuredly

   things could surely not have been worse

2. without fail; inexorably (esp in the phrase slowly but surely )

3. (sentence modifier) am I not right in thinking that?; I am sure that

   surely you don't mean it?

4. rare in a sure manner

5. archaic safely; securely

6. (sentence substitute) willingly; of course; yes

"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

Commonly Confused

See sure.

Etymology

Origin of surely

First recorded in 1300–50, surely is from the Middle English word surliche. See sure, -ly

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 the apps are surely part of that transition.”

From The Wall Street Journal

What she surely isn’t expecting, however, as she buys food and makes croquetas in preparation for an eagerly awaited visit from her daughter from Madrid, is that this trip will threaten all she holds dear.

From Los Angeles Times

Your mother surely has a great deal on her mind at the moment, but it would be much easier to do this now than to wait for more shenanigans after she’s gone.

From MarketWatch

And I don’t feel particularly guilty about it, as I surely would have decades ago when our Catholic family religiously avoided meat on Friday and attended church every Sunday morning.

From The Wall Street Journal

Cats, surely—the company is working on locating other pets.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• absolutely
• assuredly
• certainly
• clearly
• definitely
• evidently
• indeed
• inevitably
• inexorably
• plainly
• undoubtedly
• unquestionably

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.