Meaning & use
fluently
Last updated
Meanings
adverbcomparable
In an easy, unbroken way, without stopping to search for words or making many mistakes, especially when using a language.
Grammar: Usually follows the verb and its object: she speaks Italian fluently, not she speaks fluently Italian.
Patterns
- speak fluently
- read/write something fluently
- express yourself fluently
After two years in Madrid, she could chat with taxi drivers fluently.
He reads Arabic fluently but still struggles to write it.
The little girl answered the teacher's questions fluently, as if she had rehearsed them.
adverbcomparable
In a smooth, confident way that shows real practice, when doing a skill that is not a language.
Grammar: Describes how a skilled action flows: she plays fluently, not hesitantly.
Patterns
- move fluently
- play fluently
The pianist moved fluently from one movement to the next without losing the beat.
After months of training, the new nurse handled the equipment fluently.
The team passed the ball fluently, never seeming to rush.
Word forms
| comparative | more fluently |
|---|---|
| superlative | most fluently |
Common combinations
- speak fluently
- My grandmother speaks three languages fluently.
- read fluently
- By the age of six he was reading fluently.
- write fluently
- She writes fluently in both English and German.
- express yourself fluently
- After the course, I could finally express myself fluently in meetings.
- fluently bilingual
- Their children are fluently bilingual in Welsh and English.
Synonyms and how they differ
- smoothly
- Smoothly is much broader and can describe any process, while fluently suggests the ease that comes from language or skill.
- articulately
- Articulately stresses that ideas are expressed clearly and well, whereas fluently stresses speed and ease without pauses.
- eloquently
- Eloquently suggests graceful, persuasive language, so a person can speak fluently without being eloquent.
- effortlessly
- Effortlessly says there was no visible strain, while fluently points to an unbroken flow of speech or action.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: fluently or fluidly?
fluently vs fluidly
Fluidly describes graceful, flowing movement or change, like water. For speaking a language, use fluently.
Practice
After living in Quebec for ten years, Marc speaks French ____.
Choose one answer.
Fluently is the standard adverb for speaking a language smoothly. Fluidly describes flowing movement, and frequently and freely change the meaning completely.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “fluently”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.