I. ˈshu̇r, especially Southern ˈshȯr adjective
( sur·er ; sur·est )
Etymology: Middle English seur, sure, from Anglo-French seur, from Latin securus secure
Date: 13th century
1. obsolete : safe from danger or harm
2. : firmly established : steadfast
a sure hold
3. : reliable , trustworthy
a sure friend
4.
a. : marked by or given to feelings of confident certainty
I'm sure I'm right
b. : characterized by a lack of wavering or hesitation
sure brush strokes
a sure hand
5. : admitting of no doubt : indisputable
spoke from sure knowledge
6.
a. : bound to happen : inevitable
sure disaster
b. : bound , destined
is sure to win
7. : careful to remember, attend to, or find out something
be sure to lock the door
• sure·ness noun
•
- for sure
- to be sure
Synonyms:
sure , certain , positive , cocksure mean having no doubt or uncertainty. sure usually stresses the subjective or intuitive feeling of assurance
felt sure that I had forgotten something
certain may apply to a basing of a conclusion or conviction on definite grounds or indubitable evidence
police are certain about the cause of the fire
positive intensifies sureness or certainty and may imply opinionated conviction or forceful expression of it
I'm positive that's the person I saw
cocksure implies presumptuous or careless positiveness
you're always so cocksure about everything
II. adverb
Date: 14th century
: surely
Usage:
Most commentators consider the adverb sure to be something less than completely standard; surely is usually recommended as a substitute. Our current evidence shows, however, that sure and surely have become differentiated in use. Sure is used in much more informal contexts than surely. It is used as a simple intensive
I can never know how much I bored her, but, be certain, she sure amused me — Norman Mailer
and, because it connotes strong affirmation, it is used when the speaker or writer expects to be agreed with
it's a moot point whether politicians are less venal than in Twain's day. But they're sure as the devil more intrusive — Alan Abelson
he sure gets them to play — D. S. Looney
Surely, like sure, is used as a simple intensive
I surely don't want to leave the impression that I had an unhappy childhood — E. C. Welsh
but it occurs in more formal contexts than sure. Unlike sure it may be used neutrally—the reader or hearer may or may not agree
it would surely be possible, within a few years, to program a computer to construct a grammar — Noam Chomsky
and it is often used when the writer is trying to persuade
surely a book on the avant-garde cannot be so conventional — Karl Shapiro