The Adverb of Sincere: Sincerely
The adverb of sincere is sincerely.
How sincerely is formed
The adjective ends in -e, and that e stays: sincere + ly = sincerely.
This is the normal treatment for -e adjectives: pure → purely, obscure → obscurely, extreme → extremely, polite → politely. Only a short list drops it – whole → wholly, true → truly, due → duly.
Sincerely in a sentence
| I sincerely hope you are right. | The most common pattern by far. |
| He apologised sincerely. | Emphasising the apology was genuine. |
| She sincerely believed the story. | Genuinely, whether or not she was correct. |
Where it is actually used
Knowing the form is one thing; knowing the company a word keeps is what makes it sound natural. These are the patterns sincerely appears in most often.
| sincerely hope / believe / regret | With verbs of feeling and opinion. |
| apologise sincerely | Very common in formal complaints and public statements. |
| Yours sincerely | The standard close to a letter, and worth a rule of its own – see below. |
Sincerely or something else?
Several adverbs sit close to sincerely, and the difference is usually meaning rather than formality.
| genuinely | Interchangeable in most sentences. Slightly less formal. |
| honestly | Often signals that what follows may be unwelcome: honestly, I did not enjoy it. |
| truly | More emphatic and a little literary. |
The mistake to watch for
| Incorrect | Correct |
| sincerly | sincerely |
The e is kept. Dropping it is an easy slip because the e is barely audible in speech.
Yours sincerely or Yours faithfully? British letter convention draws a clear line: use Yours sincerely when you opened with the person’s name (Dear Ms Rahman), and Yours faithfully when you did not (Dear Sir or Madam). American usage largely ignores the distinction and prefers Sincerely on its own.
Related forms
Pronunciation: sin-SEER-lee, three syllables, stress on the second.
| Adjective | sincere |
| Adverb | sincerely |
| Noun | sincerity |
| Opposite | insincere / insincerely |
Practice
Fill the gap, then check yourself.
- I ___ apologise for the delay.
- The letter began “Dear Sir” and ended “Yours ___”.
- ___, I had no idea.
Answers: 1. sincerely 2. faithfully 3. Honestly
Frequently asked
Should the letter close be capitalised?
Only the first word: Yours sincerely, not Yours Sincerely.
