cer·tain·ly
Pronounced:
/ˈsɚtn̩li/
Function:
adverbMeaning:
1 : without doubt : definitely ▪ It will certainly rain tomorrow. ▪ This year's festival was certainly much better than last year's. ▪ Certainly [=surely] you can do a better job than that! ▪ I'm certainly going to try. ▪ The new version is most certainly easier to use. ▪ The snake that bit her was almost certainly poisonous. —sometimes used for emphasis ▪ He didn't get the raise he was hoping for, but he's certainly not complaining. ▪ I certainly didn't mean to offend anyone.
2 : of course —used to answer questions ▪ “Can I speak to you for a moment?” “Certainly.” ▪ “Did I offend you?” “Oh, certainly not.” [=no, you did not offend me at all] ▪ “May I join you?” “You most certainly may.”
2 : of course —used to answer questions ▪ “Can I speak to you for a moment?” “Certainly.” ▪ “Did I offend you?” “Oh, certainly not.” [=no, you did not offend me at all] ▪ “May I join you?” “You most certainly may.”