Markedly

How to spell markedly

8 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce markedly

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does markedly mean?

1. adverbTo a degree that is clearly noticeable or distinctly different.

Markedly in a sentence

• Sales were markedly higher in the second quarter than the first.

• Her tone became markedly colder once the topic of money came up.

Where does markedly come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This word traces back to the Old English noun 'mearc', a native Germanic word that meant a boundary, a border, or a sign set up to indicate one. From that came the verb 'to mark', meaning to make a sign or to take notice of something distinct. The adjective 'marked' developed the sense of 'clearly noticeable' or 'standing out', as if a thing had been deliberately singled out and labelled. Adding the adverbial '-ly' produced 'markedly', meaning 'in a way that is plainly noticeable', a usage that settled into English by the 1700s. A spelling point worth remembering: although the everyday verb 'marked' is said in one beat, the adverb 'markedly' is traditionally pronounced in three syllables (MARK-ed-ly), and that extra spoken syllable is exactly the 'ed' that the spelling preserves.

How the word is built

• mark (boundary, sign)
• -ed (adjectival past participle)
• -ly (adverb suffix)