Smoothly

How to spell smoothly

8 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce smoothly

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does smoothly mean?

1. adverbIn a manner that is even, untroubled, or free from interruption or difficulty.

Smoothly in a sentence

• The merger went smoothly once both legal teams signed off.

• The new gearbox shifts smoothly even at high speed.

Where does smoothly come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This word grows directly from the native English adjective 'smooth', which in Old English appeared as 'smoth', meaning even, level, and free from roughness or bumps. The origins of the Old English form are slightly murky, and scholars have not pinned down a confident pre-English source, though it sits among other Germanic vocabulary. To it was added the productive English ending '-ly', which descends from Old English '-lice' and originally carried the sense of 'in the manner of', the same ending that turns countless adjectives into adverbs. So 'smoothly' literally means 'in a smooth manner', whether that is physically gliding without friction or, more figuratively, proceeding without trouble or interruption. The spelling trap is purely about the double 'o' in the middle and remembering that the silent finish of 'smooth' carries straight through before the '-ly' is attached.

How the word is built

• smooth (from Old English smoth: even, level, free from roughness)
• -ly (adverb suffix)