flatly

English

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Germanic *flataz

Old Norse flatrbor.

Middle English flat

English flat

Proto-Indo-European *leyg-

Proto-Germanic *līkąder.

Proto-Germanic *-līkaz

Proto-Germanic *-ê

Proto-Germanic *-līkê

Old English -līċe

Middle English -ly

English -ly

English flatly

From flat + -ly.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈflætli/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ætli

Adverb

flatly (comparative more flatly, superlative most flatly)

1. In a physically flat or level manner.
   • 1938, Norman Lindsay, Age of Consent, 1st Australian edition, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, published 1962, →OCLC, page 214:

     He bent over the old woman again, with his ear turned flatly to her lips and then to the region of her heart.

   • 1980, Margaret Drabble, The Middle Ground:

     Rabbit country, the working man's uncultivable terrain. Half a mile away, square open patches of yellow sand flatly glittered, and far on the horizon cranes and vast silver cylinders stood about, ghostly shining inhabitants of the marsh.

2. In a definite manner; in a manner showing complete certainty.

   It was an accusation that he flatly denied.

   • 2023 August 30, “Gabon coup: The latest in a serious of military takeovers on the continent”, in BBC‎^[1]:

     In 2017 in Zimbabwe, a military takeover brought Robert Mugabe's 37-year rule to and end. But one of the leaders, Maj Gen Sibusiso Moyo, appeared on television at the time, flatly denying it was a military takeover.

3. In a manner that shows no emotion.

   He replied flatly to the policeman's questions.

   • 1946, George Johnston, Skyscrapers in the Mist, page 119:

     "Sure you never heard of him?" he asked incredulously. "Never," I said flatly.

   • 1966, James Workman, The Mad Emperor, Melbourne, Sydney: Scripts, page 65:

     "It's barbarous, Norsus." "It's Rome," said the giant flatly.

Usage notes

• In sense 2 the collocation is nearly always with a negative idea. To flatly deny. To flatly refuse. To flatly contradict. And so on, similarly.

Translations

in a manner showing complete certainty

• Bulgarian: решително (bg) (rešitelno), категорично (bg) (kategorično)
• Czech: jednoznačně (cs), rozhodně (cs), kategoricky
• Finnish: jyrkästi (fi)
• German: kategorisch (de)
• Polish: kategorycznie (pl)
• Portuguese: categoricamente (pt)
• Spanish: categóricamente (es), de plano

in a manner that shows no emotions

• Bulgarian: безстрастно (bg) (bezstrastno)
• Czech: nevzrušeně, chladně, bez zájmu, jednotvárně (cs)
• Finnish: tunteettomasti, latteasti (fi)
• German: ausdruckslos (de), emotionslos (de)
• Polish: beznamiętnie (pl)
• Spanish: en redondo