smoothly
adverb
Form of smooth , adverb of smooth.
Simple meaning
With no problems or difficulties.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
smoothleeSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈsmuðli
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 smooth and diplomatic manner
“And now,' he said smoothly, `we will continue the conversation.”
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: In a smooth and diplomatic manner
Used this way, smoothly is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“And now,' he said smoothly, `we will continue the conversation.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use smoothly
- “And now,' he said smoothly, `we will continue the conversation.”adverb
- “Put the plans into effect quickly and smoothly.”adverb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
Having a surface free from roughness or bumps or ridges or irregularities.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
A power tool used for sanding wood.
A texture without roughness.
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Words can change meaning depending on context.
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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.