ENGLISH
REFERENCE

freshly

adv. time
B1 Intermediate US //ˈfɹɛʃɫi// UK //fɹˈɛʃli// fresh·ly

adv. very recently. You use this to describe something that has just been made, cleaned, or finished.

adv. very recently or anew. Often used to modify a past participle to indicate that an action has just been completed.


SIMPLE

The kitchen smells like freshly baked bread.

CONTEXTUAL

She hung the freshly washed sheets on the line to dry in the afternoon sun.

COMPLEX

The museum's freshly renovated wing features state-of-the-art lighting designed to protect the delicate pigments of the Renaissance paintings.

Synonyms
Origin

From Middle English freschely, freschliche (also as ferscheli, fersly, ferselich), equivalent to fresh + -ly.

Usage

Commonly used as a modifier before a past participle (e.g., 'freshly painted', 'freshly squeezed').

Pitfall

The bread is freshly.The bread is fresh.Learners confuse the adverb 'freshly' with the adjective 'fresh'. Use 'freshly' only to modify a verb or another adjective, not as a standalone complement after a linking verb.

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