firmly

adverb

1. 1

   In a firm or definite or strong manner.

   She corrected him firmly but gently.

   ‘I’m going to join the Rough Riders,’ said Stephen firmly.

2. 2

   Securely.

   Tie the rope firmly to the post.

   When Timothy and Julia hurried up the staircase to the bedroom floor, where a considerable commotion was taking place, Tim took Barry Leach with him. He had him gripped firmly by the arm, since he felt it was not safe to let him loose, and he had no immediate idea what to do with him.

   Dotcom mania was slow in coming to higher education, but now it has the venerable industry firmly in its grip. Since the launch early last year of Udacity and Coursera, two Silicon Valley start-ups offering free education through MOOCs, massive open online courses, the ivory towers of academia have been shaken to their foundations.

3. 3

   Definitively.

   This was widely interpreted to mean that slavery was once more firmly illegal in England.

   Three decisions handed down within a week of each other in June of 2023 illustrate this point. Haaland v. Brackeen, which upheld the constitutionality of the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978, produced a majority opinion and a concurring opinion that are firmly in the exceptionalist mode but another concurring opinion and two dissenting opinions that are firmly in the assimilationist mode.

Forms

comparative

firmlier, more firmly

superlative

firmliest, most firmly