squarely
adverb
Form of square , adverb of square.
Simple meaning
Straightforward and honest way.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
skwehrleeSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈskwɛɹli
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
figurative
In a direct, straightforward and honest manner.
geometry
In the shape of a square; at right angles.
Firmly and solidly
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Primarily written
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: In a direct, straightforward and honest manner.
Used this way, squarely is a reasonably familiar word with a clearly warm, approving pull. It turns up most in ethics or values contexts.
- Emotional tone
- Positive
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Honest and open
- Usage feel
- Precise and approving
Where it naturally appears
- Ethics/values
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use squarely
- “Looked him squarely in the eye.”adverb
- “To face a problem squarely.”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.
A plane rectangle with four equal sides and four right angles.
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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.