Clearly

Part of speech: adverb

Pronunciation: /ˈklɪɚli/

Definitions

1. In a way that is easy to see, hear, or understand; without confusion or ambiguity
2. In a manner that is unmistakably perceptible, comprehensible, or evident
3. devoid of obscurity or misunderstanding

Etymology: "Clearly" is a plain case of an adjective plus suffix: "clear" with the adverbial ending "-ly", which turns a quality into a way of doing something. The adverb came into English from Middle English forms such as "clerli" and "clerliche", spellings that show the vowel of "clear" was once pronounced differently and that the word has been shifting its spelling for centuries. The more interesting part is that "clear" originally described light, sound, and sight before it described understanding. "Clerly" in Middle English could mean brightly or loudly, so an adverb built on that sense would describe something seen or heard distinctly. Over time the same sense of distinctness moved from the senses to the mind, so that something clearly shown became something clearly understood, and the adverb took on its modern sense of "obviously" or "without doubt."

Synonyms: obviously, evidently, distinctly

Antonyms: unclearly, ambiguously, vaguely