Admittedly

How to spell admittedly

10 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce admittedly

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does admittedly mean?

1. adverbUsed to concede that something is true, even though it may weaken your own argument.

Admittedly in a sentence

• The design is admittedly expensive, but it should last for decades.

• Admittedly, the report was late, and the team apologised for the delay.

Where does admittedly come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This adverb is built on the verb 'admit', which English took in the late 1300s from the Latin admittere, meaning literally 'to send to' or 'to let in'. That Latin verb combines the prefix ad-, meaning 'to' or 'toward', with mittere, meaning 'to send' or 'to let go', the same root that gives us 'mission', 'transmit' and 'permit'. The early English sense was simply 'to allow in', but it soon broadened to 'to accept the truth of something', as in admitting a fact or a fault. From the past-participle form 'admitted' the suffix -ly was added to make an adverb meaning 'as must be conceded'. The double 't' that trips writers up comes straight from doubling the consonant when 'admit' adds its ending, exactly as it does in 'admitting' and 'committed'.

How the word is built

• ad- (to)
• mitt (root of Latin mittere: to send, let go)
• -ed (past participle ending)
• -ly (adverb suffix)