Genuinely

ˈdʒen.ju.ɪn.li

adverbmedium🔥Very CommonGeneral
1 meaning1 idiom/phrase3 questions

Definitions

1

In a sincere, honest, and authentic manner; without pretense or deceit.

ˈdʒen.ju.ɪn.li

adverbpositivemedium
General

In a sincere and honest way.

He genuinely apologized for his mistake.

💡 Simply: Like when someone's being totally real and not pretending. If someone's *genuinely* happy, you can tell because they're smiling and their eyes are bright – it's not a fake smile!

👶 For kids: When someone is really and truly being themselves and not pretending.

More Examples

2

She was genuinely happy to see her friends.

3

The painting looked genuinely old.

How It's Used

General Conversation

"She genuinely cares about the environment."

Business

"The company genuinely appreciates customer feedback."

Personal relationships

"They are genuinely in love."

Synonyms & Antonyms

Antonyms

Idioms & expressions

genuinely sorry

Expressing heartfelt regret or remorse.

"I am genuinely sorry for the inconvenience."

From the adjective 'genuine', which comes from the Latin word 'genuīnus' meaning 'native' or 'natural', originally referring to something that was not adopted or artificial.

Used since the 17th century, initially to indicate the authenticity of a document or artifact, then extended to describe sincerity in behavior and feeling.

Memory tip

Imagine a *genuine* gold coin – it's real and not fake, and it's *genuinely* valuable.

Word Origin

LanguageLatin
Original meaning

"native, natural"

genuinely caregenuinely happygenuinely apologizegenuinely believegenuinely interested

Common misspellings

genuinlygenuinelly

Usage

60%Spoken
40%Written