Surely

Definition: Surely

Surely

Adverb

1. Definitely or positively; "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"; (`sure' is used informally for `surely' as in "they sure smell good"; "sure he'll come").

Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
 

Date "surely" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1010. (references)

Synonyms: Surely

Wonder

Interjection: lo, lo and behold! O! heyday! halloo! what! indeed! really! surely! humph! hem! good lack, good heavens, gad so! welladay! dear me! only think! lackadaisy! my stars, my goodness! gracious goodness! goodness gracious! mercy on us! heavens and earth! God bless me! bless us, bless my heart! odzookens! O gemini! adzooks! hoity-toity! strong! Heaven save the mark, bless the mark! can such things be! zounds! 'sdeath! what on earth, what in the world! who would have thought it!; (inexpectation); you don't say so! You're kidding!. No kidding? what do you say to that! nous verrons! how now! where am I?

Crosswords: Surely

Well, I'm sure there have been marvelous advances in the industry, but surely you must have some sort of training program (American Beauty; writing credit: Alan Ball)

Surely you're not encouraging me to talk shop (Brief Encounter; writing credit: David Lean, written by Noel Coward, Anthony Havelock-Allan, David Lean, and Ronald Neame.)

Surely, you must realize that my powers are far beyond yours now, back down (Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones; writing credit: George Lucas)

And surely, the people in Group number two are looking at those fourteen lights in very suspicious way. For them, the situation is fifty-fifty (Signs; writing credit: M. Night Shyamalan)

Everyone has somebody that they want to put out of the way. Oh now, surely Madam, you're not going to tell me that there hasn't been a time that you didn't want to dispose of someone (Strangers on a Train; writing credit: Raymond Chandler; Whitfield Cook)

A compromise would surely help the situation (Things We Do For Love; performing artist: 10 CC)

Sweet Maria the sunlight surely hurts my eyes (My Maria; performing artist: BROOKS & DUNN)

He's gonna surely break this heart of mine (MOCKINGBIRD; performing artist: Carly Simon)

And I know you could surely survive without me, (What Kind of Man Would I be?; performing artist: Chicago)

But a good stiff drink it surely don't (Teen Angst (What The World Needs Now); performing artist: Cracker)

She sells seashells by the seashore. The shells she sells are surely seashells. So if she sells shells on the seashore, I'm sure she sells seashore shells. (references; author: unknown)

Sheath thy sword, the surly sheriff said, "or surely shall a churlish serf soon shatter thee. (references; author: unknown)

We surely shall see the sun shine soon. (references; author: unknown)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Books

• Get Rich Slowly... but Surely (Timelee Books) (reference)

  (more book examples)

Music

• Slowly But Surely (reference)

• Surely They Were the Sons of God (reference)

  (more classical music examples; more popular music examples)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

The Evil system of colonialism and imperialism arose and throve with the enslavement of Negroes and the trade in Negroes, and it will surely come to its end with the complete emancipation of the Black people. Credit: Library of Congress.

Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

We surely must not let that happen again. ("Iron Curtain" Speech)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

And to the speaker himself it must surely bring the danger of loss of faith

That, surely, were a shallow view of it.

If ever the (r)sic vos non vobis were applicable, it is surely to this village of Waterloo

Well there was one old lady, and a drunken old harridan she was surely, that paid all her attention to me.

Listen to every zephyr for some reproof, for it is surely there, and he is unfortunate who does not hear it.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Health

Alcohol is a drug, as surely as cocaine and marijuana are. It’s also illegal to drink under the age of 21. And it’s dangerous. (references)

If a person inherits the gene that causes one of these disorders, he or she surely will get the disease, unless it is prevented by other means. (references)

Business

Suppliers that can assure these conditions will surely establish long-term business relationships. (references)

The extent to which these assumptions are violated in the future will surely affect the accuracy of the forecasts presented here. (references)

The recent law requiring Czech travel agencies to have insurance against insolvency and the revitalization of the Czech economy will surely contribute to an increase in outbound tourism in the future. (references)

Economic History

Hungary

Despite its high saturation level, the Hungarian cosmetics and toiletries market is expected to grow slowly but surely in the next few years. (references)

Japan

The Japanese labor market today suffers from demographic, macro-economic, and structural pressures, which are slowly but surely changing traditional Japanese employment practices. (references)

Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Expressions using "surely": almost surely ♦ slowly but surely. Additional references.

Ending with "surely": assume-surely.

Afrikaans

tog (accordingly, certainly, consequently, indeed, rather, so, then, therefore). (various references)

Albanian

sigurisht (assuredly, by all means, certainly, Certes, decidedly, definitely, doubtless, indeed, of course, sure, ywis), pa dyshim (admittedly, by all means, certainly, decidedly, definitely, distinctly, doubtless, ex cathedra, far and away, implicitly, out and out, quite so, sure enough, sure thing, undoubtedly, unhesitatingly, without a doubt, without fail), natyrisht (certainly, matter of course, naturally, of course, you bet), me siguri (certainly, doubtless, safely, without fail). (various references)

Arabic 

‏من غير ريب (absolutely, alright, assuredly, decidedly, distinctly, easily, of course, really, sure, verily), ‏مؤكدا, ‏أكيد (assured, doubtless, indeed, naturally, sure), ‏بلا شك, ‏بتأكيد, ‏بالتاكيد (indeed, obviously, of course, point blank, undoubtedly), ‏بثقة (dependable, dependably, reliably). (various references)

Bulgarian 

устойчиво (stably), уверено (securely), сигурно (certainly, doubtless, must, reliably, safely, securely, sure), вярно (aright, faithfully, sic, true, truly, truthfully, yea), непременно (absolutely, by all means, certainly, definitely, indispensably, necessarily, needs, to be sure, without fail), наистина (actually, all right, for real, forsooth, in all verity, in sooth, indeed, real, really, sure, sure enough, true, truly, verily, yea), безопасно, положително (assuredly, positively, sure thing). (various references)

Chinese 

肯定 (Affirm, Affirmation, Affirmative, Affirmed, Affirming, Predicative, sure), 保管 (certainly, take care of), 一定 (a certain, certainly, fixed, given, necessarily, particular). (various references)

Czech

samozřejmì (certainly, naturally, obviously, of course), zajisté (of course, sure), rozhodnì (absolutely, by all means, categorically, certainly, decidedly, decisively, definitely, flatly, in any event, strongly), ovšem (absolutely, admittedly, indeed, naturally, of course, sure), jistì (assuredly, certainly, definitely, easily, for certain, of course, sure, verily), bezpochyby (doubtless, no doubt, probably, undoubtedly). (various references)

Danish

næsten sikkert (almost certainly, almost everywhere, almost surely), næsten overalt (almost certainly, almost everywhere, almost surely), kautionere for (to act as surety, to be someone's guarantor, to go bail for, to go surety, to guarantee, to secure, to stand security, to stand surely to, to stand surety), gå i kaution for (to act as surety, to be someone's guarantor, to go bail for, to go surety, to guarantee, to secure, to stand security, to stand surely to, to stand surety). (various references)

Dutch

zeker (absolutely, certain, certainly, definitely, indeed, no doubt, probably, rather, sure, undoubtedly, without fail), wel (admittedly, all right, although, certainly, fountain, indeed, now, probably, quite, rather, rather allright, source, spring, though, untranslated, well, well then, well-being), toch (accordingly, but, certainly, consequently, however, indeed, nevertheless, rather, so, then, therefore, yet), immers (certainly, indeed, rather). (various references)

Esperanto

ja (certainly, indeed, rather). (various references)

Finnish

varmasti (certainly, definitely, to be sure), varmaan (I expect, I suppose, presumably, probably, very likely), kaiketi (presumably, probably), han (certainly, indeed, rather, why). (various references)

French

certes. (various references)

German

wohl (accordingly, arguably, certainly, consequently, indeed, maybe, mayhap, no doubt, perchance, perhaps, possibly, probably, rather, so, then, therefore, to be sure, weal, welfare, well, well being, well-being). (various references)

Greek 

σίγουρα (certainly, for certain), βεβαίωσ (assuredly, certainly, of course), ασφαλώσ (certainly, securely). (various references)

Hebrew 

ללא ספק, אמנם (indeed, truly), אל נכון (undoubtedly), בודאי (certainly, of course, sure, undoubtedly), בבטחה (safely), בטוחות (safely). (various references)

Hungarian

biztosan (assuredly, certainly, necessarily, safely, securely, snugly, sure), bizonyára (certainly, in all conscience). (various references)

Indonesian

tentu saja, niscaya (certainly, undoubtedly). (various references)

Italian

certamente (absolutely, certainly, jolly, of course, rather, sure). (various references)

Japanese Kanji 

誓って (by Jove, upon my word), 確かに (certainly), 正しく (evidently, no doubt), 正に　 (correctly), 正に (correctly), 実に (indeed, truly), 定めし , つなぎ目 (a joint, a link, all-night Mah Jongg, aloof, altogether, at all, beyond doubt, certainly, complaining, entirely, extra-high-speed Touhoku-line shinkansen, feeling awkward, gleaming, going long way at steady pace, morose, nitpicking, pointed, sauce for dipping tempura, slippery, smooth, sound of walking, tie-together point, to pitchforward, trudgingly), 屹度 (certainly, severely, sternly, undoubtedly, without fail), 必ずや (certainly, definitely), 必ず (by all means, certainly, necessarily, positively, without fail), て拳道 (copula, detective, Don't you agree?, event, guess, has become possible, hope, huge, huge breasts, I fear, I hope, I think, I thought you'd say that!, in a big way, is now possible, it seems, may, polite copula in Japanese, probably, Tae Kwon Do, therefore, think, to be, will), 如何しても (after all, at any cost, at any rate, by all means, cravingly, in the long run, no matter what). (various references)

Japanese Katakana 

たしかに (certainly), きっと (certainly, severely, sternly, undoubtedly, without fail), まさしく (evidently, no doubt), まさに (correctly), さだめし, どうしても (after all, at any cost, at any rate, by all means, cravingly, in the long run, no matter what), であろう (I fear, I hope, I think, it seems, may, probably, will), かならずや (certainly, definitely), じつに (indeed, truly), てっきり (beyond doubt, certainly), ちかって (by Jove, upon my word). (various references)

Korean 

확실하게 (Authentically, Certainly, undoubtedly). (various references)

Manx

son shickyrys (assuredly, certainly, definitely, naturally, positively), dy shickyr (definitely, undoubtedly). (various references)

Pig Latin

urelysay.(various references)

Polish

wszak (certainly, indeed, rather), przecież (certainly, indeed, rather). (various references)

Portuguese

certamente (all right, aright, by all means, certainly, indeed, naturally, sure). (various references)

Romanian

sigur (absolute, absolutely, assuredly, certain, certainly, cocksure, confident, convinced, decided, dependable, indeed, it must be, positive, reliable, reliant, safe, safely, secure, self confident, sound, steady, sterling, straight, sure, tenacious, trustworthy, undeniable, undoubtedly, unequivocal), hotãrât (adamant, appointed, assertive, categorical, categorically, certain, certainly, dead, decided, definite, definitely, determined, exactly, firm, firmly, flat, flatly, forthright, foursquare, game, gritty, hell-bent, manful, pertinacious, plucky, point blank, positively, purposeful, resolute, resolved, resolvedly, set, stalwart, steadfast, sticky, strong-minded, sturdy, sure, trenchant, unfaltering, unflinching, unflinchingly, unhesitatingly, vigorous), cu siguranţã (assuredly, certainly, for certain, questionless, sure, sure as a gun), cert (certain, certainly, sure). (various references)

Russian 

несомненно (and no mistake, assuredly, by long odds, certain, certainly, clearly, decidedly, definitely, doubtless, evidently, for fair, forsooth, no doubt, out and out, there is no question that, undoubtedly, without doubt). (various references)

Scottish

da-rìreadh (certainly, truly). (various references)

Serbo-Croatian

svakako (anyhow, course: of course), sigurno (certainly, doubtless), zasigurno, zacelo (certainly), pouzdano (reliably), bezbedno (safely, securely), bar (bar, barroom, if only, least: at least, leastwise, night club, nightclub). (various references)

Spanish

seguramente (likewise, most probably, safely), por supuesto (definitely, of course, sure thing), infaliblemente (infallibly), ciertamente (assuredly, by all odds, certainly, exactly, expressly, yea). (various references)

Swedish

säkert (assuredly, certainly, clearly, safe, safely, sure, surety, without fail), väl (okay, weal, well, well being, well-being), minsann (indeed, sure enough), ju (certainly, indeed, just, of course, rather, the, why), ja visst (absolutely, of course, oh yes, well). (various references)

Thai

อย่างแน่นอน (certainly, far and away, jolly-well, natch). (various references)

Turkish

tabii (certainly, natural, of course, sure), muhakkak (absulutely, certain, certainly, doubtless, infallible, safe, sure, sure as death, sure enough), güvenlice, emin olarak (confidently, positively, rightly), elbette (absolutely, assuredly, by all means, certainly, definitely, doubtless, naturally, no wonder, of course, precisely, quite, quite so, sure, sure enough, without fail, you bet). (various references)

Ukrainian

звичайно (absolutely, admittedly, as a rule, assuredly, certainly, clearly, commonly, definitely, familiarly, generally, habitually, mostly, natch, naturally, normally, of course, on course, ordinarily, sure, sure thing, usually, vulgarly), безсумнівно (beyond doubt, beyond question, certainly, clearly, decidedly, decisively, doubtless, easily, far and away, no doubt, out of dispute, out of doubt, questionless, undoubtedly, without doubt, without question), певно (apparently, belike, by all odds, expressly, likely, precisely, pronouncedly, reliably). (various references)

Vietnamese 

chắc chắn rõ ràng. (various references)

certe, certissime, certius, certo, profecto. (various references)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Derivations

Words ending with "surely": cocksurely, leisurely, unsurely. (additional references)

Misspellings

"Surely" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: Isireli, Sburelin, Serel, serele, Seurel, Shurey, Shurley, sirel, sirey, Skrela, slurey, Sorella, Sorelle, Sorelli, sourey, srely, strelsy, Studeley, Stukely, suey, sugely, suorey, sureley, surey, suriy, surley, surlie, surlyn, surrell, survel, Suwelo. (additional references)

Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits.

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams

-1 letter: lures, lyres, rules, slyer, surly, yules.

-2 letters: leys, lues, lure, lyes, lyre, lyse, rely, rues, rule, ruly, ruse, ryes, slue, slur, suer, sure, user, yule.

-3 letters: els, ers, leu, ley, lye, res, rue, rye, sel, ser, sly, sue, use, yes.

-4 letters: el, er, es, re, us, ye.

+1 letter: burleys, elusory, hurleys.

+2 letters: blustery, brulyies, clustery, crousely, cursedly, delusory, elytrous, gyplures, pleurisy, resupply, rugosely, scullery, securely, slumbery, sprucely, squarely, summerly, superbly, superlay, unsurely, urostyle, yourself.

+3 letters: assuredly, austerely, brusquely, curlycues, cursively, desultory, leisurely, leprously, nervously, obscurely, onerously, profusely, purposely, pyloruses, restfully, secularly, seriously, southerly, spluttery, superably, supremely, surreally, underlays, urostyles, yarmulkes.

+4 letters: abstrusely, accursedly, aneurysmal, berylliums, cocksurely, decorously, desirously, enormously, esuriently, generously, gesturally, gorgeously, grievously, gruesomely, insecurely, measurably, measuredly, numerously, oversupply, pelycosaur, perilously, preciously, presumably, presumedly, previously, pyrolusite, ravenously, residually, resolutely, roundelays, ruthlessly, secularity, specularly, squirrelly, sufferably, superalloy, superiorly, superlying, supernally, suppletory, trolleybus, underplays, upholstery, urinalyses, viperously, yourselves.