# surely

Pronunciation: US say "SHUUR-lee" /ˈʃʊɹli/; UK say "SHAW-lee" /ˈʃɔːli/

## Adverb

1. Used to show that the speaker firmly believes something is true, often to ask for agreement or to express surprise that it might not be.
   - Simple: Used to say that something must be true, or to ask others to agree.
   - _Surely you recall meeting her at the conference last spring._
   - _There has to be a better answer; surely we haven't exhausted every option._
2. In a way that cannot fail; reliably and without exception.
   - Simple: In a way that is certain to happen and never fails.
   - _The glacier grinds surely and steadily down the valley, a little farther every year._
   - _Step by step, she slowly but surely completed the entire project._
3. In a confident, assured manner, without hesitation.
   - Simple: In a confident way, without doubt or shaking.
   - _The climber moved surely from one handhold to the next._
   - _The old sailor tied each knot quickly and surely, his fingers moving without a moment's hesitation._

## Origin

From Middle English surely, formed from sure combined with the suffix -ly.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/surely (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).