truly

adverb

tru·​ly ˈtrü-lē How to pronounce truly (audio)
Synonyms of trulynext
1
: in all sincerity : sincerely
truly sorry
often used with yours as a complimentary close (as of a letter) or humorously to refer to oneself
"Who's in charge here?" "Yours truly."
2
: in agreement with fact : truthfully
Is this poll truly representative?
3
a
: indeed
often used as an intensive
That was truly weird/awful/amazing.
or interjectionally to express astonishment or doubt
b
: without feigning, falsity, or inaccuracy in truth or fact
truly sympathetic expressions of condolence
4
: with exactness of construction or operation
5
: in a proper or suitable manner

Examples of truly in a Sentence

These truly dark clusters, if they are real, would betray the universe's dirty secret: Big piles of mass don't necessarily come with lights attached. Robert Irion, Science, 20 June 2003
By the time Columbus arrived, truly large empires existed only in Mexico. Tim Flannery, New York Review of Books, 12 June 2003
The streets and sidewalks of Bedley Run truly seemed as much mine as any person's, their almost affirming solidity underfoot, bouncing me along on my diurnal way. Chang-rae Lee, A Gesture Life, 1999
I truly believe they can do it. He truly enjoyed the concert. This is truly a different situation. A country is not truly democratic until all of its citizens can vote freely. Is this poll truly representative of the voters' intentions?
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
JPMorgan’s analysis notes that while billions of barrels of inventory may sound substantial, the amount of truly usable buffer stock may only be around 800 million barrels. CNBC, 18 May 2026 Because few people are truly ambidextrous. Weike Wang, New Yorker, 17 May 2026 Chelsea have lacked a truly elite goalkeeper since Thibaut Courtois’ departure in 2018, but encouragingly for them, Alonso succeeded without one at Leverkusen; Lukas Hradecky was widely regarded in Germany as good rather than great at the time, while being prone to the occasional error. Liam Twomey, New York Times, 17 May 2026 What truly defines the destination is balance. Nick Scott, Robb Report, 17 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for truly

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3b

Time Traveler
The first known use of truly was in the 13th century

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Cite this Entry

“Truly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/truly. Accessed 21 May. 2026.

Kids Definition

truly

adverb
tru·​ly ˈtrü-lē How to pronounce truly (audio)
: in a true manner

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