adv · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
/ˈtɹuːli/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -uːli
CMU ARPABET:T R UW1 L IY0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adv
Meaning 1
In accordance with the facts; truthfully, accurately.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: manner
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
adv
Meaning 2
Honestly, genuinely, in fact, really.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: modal
Examples
That is truly all I know.
Truly, that is all I know.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
adv
Meaning 3
Very.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Qualifier: degree
Examples
You are truly silly.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
adverb
Meaning 4
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
she was now truly American
a genuinely open society
they don't really listen to us
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: genuinely, really
Antonyms: none provided
5
adverb
Meaning 5
in fact (used as intensifiers or sentence modifiers)
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
in truth, moral decay hastened the decline of the Roman Empire
really, you shouldn't have done it
a truly awful book
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: in truth, really
Antonyms: none provided
6
adverb
Meaning 6
by right
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
baseball rightfully is the nation's pastime
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: rightfully
Antonyms: none provided
7
adverb
Meaning 7
with sincerity; without pretense
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
she praised him sincerely for his victory
was unfeignedly glad to see his old teacher
we are truly sorry for the inconvenience
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: sincerely, unfeignedly
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
From Middle English truely, treuly, treuli, trewely, treoweliche, treowliche, from Old English trēowlīċe (“faithfully; truly”), equivalent to true + -ly. Cognate with Dutch trouwelijk, Middle Low German truwlike, German treulich, Swedish trolig, Icelandic trygglega.
Across languages
Translations
121 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Assamese:
সঁচাকৈ
(xõsakoi)
— in accordance with the facts
Bulgarian:
вярно
(vjarno)
— in accordance with the facts
Bulgarian:
точно
(točno)
— in accordance with the facts
Chinese Mandarin:
真正地
(zhēnzhèng de)
— in accordance with the facts
Czech:
pravdivě
— in accordance with the facts
Esperanto:
vere
— in accordance with the facts
Esperanto:
fakte
— in accordance with the facts
Finnish:
todenmukaisesti
— in accordance with the facts
Finnish:
totuudenmukaisesti
— in accordance with the facts
French:
vraiment
— in accordance with the facts
German:
wirklich
— in accordance with the facts
German:
wahrhaft
— in accordance with the facts
Greek:
ειλικρινά
(eilikriná)
— in accordance with the facts
Greek:
αληθώς
(alithós)
— in accordance with the facts
Ancient Greek:
ἀληθῶς
(alēthôs)
— in accordance with the facts
Hindi:
वास्तव में
(vāstav mẽ)
— in accordance with the facts
Italian:
accuratamente
— in accordance with the facts
Japanese:
事実のとおりに
(jijitsu no tōri)
— in accordance with the facts
Jingpho:
ăman
— in accordance with the facts
Polish:
autentycznie
— in accordance with the facts
Polish:
naprawdę
— in accordance with the facts
Polish:
serio
— in accordance with the facts
Polish:
szczerze
— in accordance with the facts
Polish:
prawdziwie
— in accordance with the facts
Portuguese:
verdadeiramente
— in accordance with the facts
Portuguese:
corretamente
— in accordance with the facts
Romanian:
într-adevăr
— in accordance with the facts
Russian:
правди́во
(pravdívo)
— in accordance with the facts
Russian:
и́скренне
(ískrenne)
— in accordance with the facts
Russian:
че́стно
(čéstno)
— in accordance with the facts
Russian:
ве́рно
(vérno)
— in accordance with the facts
Russian:
и́стинно
(ístinno)
— in accordance with the facts
Sicilian:
veraménti
— in accordance with the facts
Spanish:
verdaderamente
— in accordance with the facts
Spanish:
veramente
— in accordance with the facts
Tamil:
உண்மையில்
(uṇmaiyil)
— in accordance with the facts
Tamil:
உண்மையிலேயே
(uṇmaiyilēyē)
— in accordance with the facts
Telugu:
నిజముగా
(nijamugā)
— in accordance with the facts
Tocharian B:
auspa
— in accordance with the facts
Tok Pisin:
tru
— in accordance with the facts
Ukrainian:
спра́вді
(správdi)
— in accordance with the facts
Ukrainian:
і́стинно
(ístynno)
— in accordance with the facts
Yup'ik:
ilumun
— in accordance with the facts
Bashkir:
ысынлап та
(ısınlap ta)
— honestly, genuinely
