Definitely

How to spell definitely

10 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce definitely

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does definitely mean?

1. adverbWithout doubt; in a way that is certain and settled.

Definitely in a sentence

• I will definitely be there on Friday.

• I'm definitely coming to the party.

• You should definitely try the chocolate dessert.

Where does definitely come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word traces back to the Latin finis, which literally meant 'end', 'limit', or 'boundary'. From this came the verb definire, 'to set bounds to' or 'to mark off precisely', combining de- 'completely' with finire 'to finish'. English took the adjective 'definite' from the Latin definitus, meaning 'bounded' or 'fixed', through the late 1400s, and added the native adverb ending -ly to form 'definitely', meaning 'in a clear, fixed, certain way'. The very same finis root sits inside 'finish', 'final', and 'infinite', and it is the visible 'finite' core that holds the key to the spelling: there is an 'i' after the 'fin', never an 'a', so the trap word 'definately' is wrong. Remembering that something definite has a fixed 'finite' end helps fix the middle vowel in place.

How the word is built

• de-
• fin (end, limit)
• -ite
• -ly