Word.ws English Dictionary

How to use certainly in a sentence

40 example sentences · adverb

Certainly means in a way which is certain; with certainty. Example: “The accident was certainly caused by human error.”

Examples of certainly by meaning

adverbIn a way which is certain; with certainty.

  • The torque was "built up" in the special back axle and the car crawled tankwise but very certainly over the obstacles without a jar or hesitation.1923, A. A. Hill, Automobile Dealer and Repairer, page 30

adverbWithout doubt, surely.

  • The accident was certainly caused by human error.
  • That was certainly sweet of him.
  • 'I'm all grown up now' -'You certainly have (grown)!'

adverbAn emphatic affirmative answer; of course.

  • Would you like it with ice? Certainly, and with lemon please.

More sentences with certainly

  • We can’t phone now – they will certainly have gone to bed.From the entry now
  • Although not a direct cause, the border skirmish was certainly a collateral incitement for the war.From the entry collateral
  • You say that the president is a crook, and I certainly agree with you there.From the entry there
  • Dan certainly has arms today, probably from scraping paint off four columns the day before.From the entry have
  • My goodness, James certainly is a prime example of manhood, isn't he?From the entry manhood
  • The situation certainly looked bad, but it turned out that everything was innocent.From the entry innocent
  • The speaker had certainly done his homework before delivering the lecture.From the entry homework
  • This report is certainly not comprehensive; it is more of a "Marketing Division at a glance".From the entry at a glance
  • It’s a crummy idea, and I certainly hope it doesn’t catch on.From the entry catch on
  • His method certainly goes against the grain, but it is unquestionably effective.From the entry go against the grain
  • You can certainly trust me to keep my lips sealed about the matter.From the entry keep one's lips sealed
  • I don't know what they expect, but I am certainly not going to take this lying down.From the entry take lying down
  • The new design is very edgy and certainly flies in the face of tradition.From the entry fly in the face of
  • He's certainly very chirpy for a man whose house has just been bulldozed down.From the entry bulldoze
  • That's the third party Brenda's been to this week. She certainly gets about.From the entry get about
  • Turning up drunk at the debutante ball will certainly make you the talk of the town.From the entry talk of the town
  • Your sofa has certainly seen better days, isn't it time you got a new one?From the entry have seen better days
  • He says that tongue-lolling is not an unsoundness. It certainly is an unsoundness, not a disease.From the entry tongue-lolling
  • When she comes home I will certainly be giving her a speaking to about breaking curfew.From the entry give someone a speaking to
  • That interpretation certainly colors my perception of the book.From the entry color
  • We're certainly having quite a cruel winter this year.From the entry cruel
  • She's certainly taken a shine to you.From the entry shine
  • He was a heavy sleeper, a heavy eater and a heavy smoker – certainly not an ideal husband.From the entry heavy
  • The word "might" is certainly doing some lifting there!From the entry lifting
  • My English was much the worst, and I'm certainly not much good at math either, of that I'm very much aware.From the entry much
  • She certainly isn’t backward in coming forward!From the entry backward
  • To call George eloquent is certainly a reach.From the entry reach
  • This will certainly happen sometime in the future.From the entry sometime
  • He certainly waxed eloquent on his article.From the entry eloquent
  • Certainly, many women have found me interesting. All the same, the women closest to me are invariably deeply dissatisfied.From the entry all the same
  • Four-year-old twins will certainly keep you on your toes!From the entry keep someone on their toes
  • Of the two, she was certainly the plainer.From the entry plainer
  • The court almost certainly knows your answer to this already, but, for the record, do you plea guilty or not guilty?From the entry for the record
  • The tour guide was certainly up on his history.From the entry up on
  • Well, you certainly tried your best, God help you.From the entry God help someone

Meaning of certainly

  1. adverb In a way which is certain; with certainty.
  2. adverb Without doubt, surely.
  3. adverb An emphatic affirmative answer; of course.

Full definition of certainly

Questions about certainly in a sentence

How do you use certainly in a sentence?
Certainly is used as an adverb. For example: “The accident was certainly caused by human error.”
What is a short sentence with certainly?
“That was certainly sweet of him.”
What does certainly mean?
Certainly means in a way which is certain; with certainty.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: certainly (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “How to use certainly in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/certainly. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.