Really
adverbTo a great degree, or in actual fact; used to emphasise something.
How to spell really
6 letters · 2 syllables
How to pronounce really
Say the part in capitals loudest.
What does really mean?
- adverbTo a great degree, or in actual fact; used to emphasise something.
Really in a sentence
-
It's really cold outside.
-
I really enjoyed the film.
Where does really come from?
Language of origin: Latin
The word really is built from real plus the adverb suffix -ly. Real came into English in the late medieval period from the Anglo-Norman and Old French real, which descended from the Latin realis, meaning 'relating to a thing', formed on res, meaning 'thing' or 'matter'. By the fifteenth century English speakers had attached the native -ly ending to make an adverb describing something that is true in fact rather than merely apparent. Over time really also softened into an everyday intensifier, the way a speaker might call something really cold or really good. The spelling trap is purely mechanical: the base word real keeps its full spelling, so the adverb is real plus -ly, giving the double l that writers often shave down to one.
How the word is built
- real (from Latin res: thing, matter)
- -ly (adverb suffix)
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