remarkably
- 1To a degree striking enough to be worth special notice.
The patient's recovery was remarkably quick given the severity of the injury.
Housing prices remained remarkably stable throughout the year.
Similarunusually, strikingly, exceptionally, surprisingly, extraordinarily
Note
A degree word that sits in front of an adjective and turns it up: remarkably quick, remarkably stable, remarkably fierce. It needs a quality that can come in more or less. It is not always praise, either. Andrei Lankov, writing in The New York Times in 2013, called certain claims remarkably shallow, and there the word sharpens a criticism.
- 2In a manner striking enough to draw attention or comment.
The veteran actor performed remarkably in his final stage role.
The vintage car still handles remarkably on winding mountain roads.
Similarimpressively, exceptionally, extraordinarily, brilliantly
Note
Here the word judges how something is done, not how much of it there is. Built from remarkable plus -ly, it usually follows the verb and its object, as in performed the piece remarkably, and praises the performance itself. Placed before an adjective, the same word becomes the intensifier of degree: fought remarkably praises the fighting, while remarkably fierce simply measures fierceness.
- 3Used to mark a whole statement as surprising or worthy of special notice.
Remarkably, the manuscript survived three centuries nearly intact.
Remarkably, she finished the marathon despite a broken toe.
Similarsurprisingly, amazingly, astonishingly, incredibly
Oppositeunsurprisingly, predictably
Note
Placed at the front of a sentence and followed by a comma, the word comments on the whole statement. Remarkably, three elections were decided by fewer than one hundred votes means roughly "it is remarkable that…". Moving it changes the meaning. Remarkably, she sang reports a surprising fact, while she sang remarkably praises the manner of the singing.
Practice
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Origin
Formed from "remarkable" combined with the suffix "-ly".