truly

adverb

tru·​ly ˈtrü-lē How to pronounce truly (audio)
Synonyms of trulynext
1
: in all sincerity : sincerely
truly sorry
—often used with yours as a complimentary close (as of a letter) or humorously to refer to oneself
"Who's in charge here?" "Yours truly."
2
: in agreement with fact : truthfully
Is this poll truly representative?
3
a
: indeed
—often used as an intensive
That was truly weird/awful/amazing.
 or interjectionally to express astonishment or doubt
b
: without feigning, falsity, or inaccuracy in truth or fact
truly sympathetic expressions of condolence
4
: with exactness of construction or operation
5
: in a proper or suitable manner
see also:
yours truly

Synonyms of truly

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Examples of truly in a Sentence

These truly dark clusters, if they are real, would betray the universe's dirty secret: Big piles of mass don't necessarily come with lights attached. —Robert Irion, Science, 20 June 2003
By the time Columbus arrived, truly large empires existed only in Mexico. —Tim Flannery, New York Review of Books, 12 June 2003
The streets and sidewalks of Bedley Run truly seemed as much mine as any person's, their almost affirming solidity underfoot, bouncing me along on my diurnal way. —Chang-rae Lee, A Gesture Life, 1999
I truly believe they can do it. He truly enjoyed the concert. This is truly a different situation. A country is not truly democratic until all of its citizens can vote freely. Is this poll truly representative of the voters' intentions?
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Editor-in-Chief Brent Lang for a conversation about the search for hits and what separates the truly special projects. — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 9 Oct. 2026 That’s not to say this time isn’t different – that this technology is, finally, sufficiently advanced to truly spook the technical geniuses close to the problem. — Michael Serazio, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2026 The money had to come from somewhere, and Villivalam helped put the kibosh on some truly unacceptable proposals that surfaced in the House — particularly a tax on the unrealized gains of Illinois billionaires. — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026 Jay told Rubin that his intention for The Blueprint 3 was to record a truly international album that would pull musical influences from various corners of the globe. — John Kennedy, VIBE.com, 8 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for truly

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3b

Time Traveler
The first known use of truly was in the 13th century

Phrases Containing truly

Rhymes for truly

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Browse Nearby Words

trullo
truly
Truman
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Cite this Entry

“Truly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/truly. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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Kids Definition

truly

adverb
tru·​ly ˈtrü-lē How to pronounce truly (audio)
: in a true manner
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