publicly
adverb
Simple meaning
Openly, where other people can see or hear.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
puhblihkleeSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈpʌblɪkli
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
adverb
In a manner accessible to or observable by the public; openly
“She admitted publicly to being a communist.”
By the public or the people generally
By, for, or on behalf of the public.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate (estimated)
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: In a manner accessible to or observable by the public; openly
Used this way, publicly is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“She admitted publicly to being a communist.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Usage note
It most often appears in the pattern “publicly to …”, which is worth copying when you use it.
Nearby words
- publically , rarer, so it draws attention
Natural pattern: publicly to …
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use publicly
- “She admitted publicly to being a communist.”adverb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
Someone who publicizes.
A copy of a printed work offered for distribution.
A message issued in behalf of some product or cause or idea or person or institution.
Made known.
Made known.
In a manner accessible to or observable by the public.
Make public.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
A housing development that is publicly funded and administered for low-income families.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: in a manner accessible to
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.