ENGLISH
REFERENCE

publicly

adv. manner
B1 Intermediate US //ˈpəbɫɪkɫi// UK //pˈʌblɪkli// pub·licly

adv. in a way that everyone can see or hear. You use this when something is done openly instead of in secret.

adv. in a manner observable by or open to the general population; not privately or secretly.


SIMPLE

The company publicly apologized for the mistake.

CONTEXTUAL

The politician refused to speak publicly about the scandal until the investigation was complete.

COMPLEX

While the two nations had been negotiating in secret for months, they only publicly announced the trade agreement after the final signatures were secured.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Origin

From public + -ly.

Usage

Typically placed after the verb or at the end of the clause; can also appear before the verb for emphasis.

Pitfall

He spoke publically about it.He spoke publicly about it.Learners often add an 'a' because many adverbs ending in '-ly' come from adjectives ending in '-al' (like 'basically'), but 'publicly' is the standard spelling.

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