flatly

flatly

English

Etymology

From flat +‎ -ly.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈflætli/

Adverb

flatly (comparative more flatly, superlative most flatly)

1. In a physically flat or level manner.
   • 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.

3. In a manner that shows no emotion.

   He replied flatly to the policeman's questions.

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, 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