soundly

/ˈsaʊndli/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈsaʊndli/ (ame, ipa) · /-lē -li/ (ame, mw)

soundly — adverb

1. in a thorough and complete way, leaving nothing undone — used especially for def

1.副詞B2
釋義

in a thorough and complete way, leaving nothing undone — used especially for defeats, rejections, wins, or disproving something

例句

The home team was soundly defeated in the championship final.

soundly + past participle (defeated)

The board soundly rejected the proposal for a new campus building.

同義詞
  • thoroughly

    more general, works in wider contexts

  • completely

    less emphatic; 'soundly' implies a decisive finality

  • decisively

    focuses on the finality of the result, common with 'defeated' and 'won'

反義詞
  • narrowly

    by a small margin — opposite of 'soundly' in competition contexts

  • barely

    almost not — opposite of thoroughness

文法句型

soundly + past participle (soundly defeated)

soundly + verb (soundly beat)

用法筆記

Most common with past participles that express a negative outcome (defeated, rejected, criticized, disproved). Less frequent with positive outcomes (won, approved).

常見錯誤

❌The plan was soundly approved.
✅The plan was soundly rejected.
💡'soundly' is most natural with negative outcomes; with positive outcomes it sounds unusual.

2. in a deep, uninterrupted way that allows full rest — describing the quality of s

2.副詞B1
釋義

in a deep, uninterrupted way that allows full rest — describing the quality of sleep

例句

After hiking for ten miles, Sofia slept soundly through the entire night.

sleep soundly — the most common collocation for this sense

The baby was sleeping soundly despite the loud music from next door.

同義詞
  • deeply

    the most common synonym; 'soundly' adds a nuance of being undisturbed

  • peacefully

    emphasizes calmness rather than depth of sleep

反義詞
  • lightly

    waking easily — opposite of deep sleep

  • fitfully

    restlessly, waking often — opposite of soundly

文法句型

sleep + soundly

be + sleeping + soundly

用法筆記

Almost exclusively used with sleep-related verbs (sleep, rest, doze, nap). Rarely found outside this context. Frequently appears with 'through the night' to emphasize duration.

常見錯誤

❌I soundly ate dinner.
✅I slept soundly after dinner.
💡'soundly' in this sense applies only to sleep or rest, not to other activities.

3. in a way that shows good judgment, careful reasoning, and a reliable basis — des

3.副詞B2
釋義

in a way that shows good judgment, careful reasoning, and a reliable basis — describing decisions, arguments, or practices

例句

The committee's decision was soundly based on years of research data.

soundly based on — collocation with research / data / evidence

Dr. Chen argues soundly that early education reduces long-term social costs.

同義詞
  • rationally

    focuses on logic rather than the solid basis

  • wisely

    focuses on the outcome being smart, rather than the process being reliable

  • validly

    narrower — used for arguments or points, not for actions

反義詞
  • unsoundly

    rare; 'poorly' or 'badly' are more natural antonyms

  • flimsily

    describes reasoning that does not rest on solid evidence

文法句型

soundly + [verb of judgment / planning]

用法筆記

Common in formal writing about business, law, academia, and policy. Often precedes verbs like base, argue, reason, plan, or design. Distinguish from sense 1 (COMPLETELY): that sense stresses thoroughness of an action; this sense stresses the reliability of the reasoning behind it.

常見錯誤

❌She soundly argued that pizza is delicious.
✅She soundly argued that the policy would reduce emissions.
💡'soundly' in this sense needs a serious, reasoned claim, not a personal preference.

4. with strong physical force or harsh impact — used for hitting, beating, kicking,

4.副詞B2
釋義

with strong physical force or harsh impact — used for hitting, beating, kicking, or punishing someone

例句

The bully was soundly beaten by the older students who finally stood up to him.

soundly beaten — physical sense

Diego kicked the ball soundly past the goalkeeper into the top corner.

同義詞
  • severely

    broader; can describe emotional or physical harshness

  • violently

    stronger emphasis on raw force

  • harshly

    focuses on the effect on the receiver

反義詞

文法句型

soundly + [verb of physical impact]

用法筆記

Used with verbs of physical impact (hit, kick, beat, punish) to emphasise the force or harshness of the action itself, rather than the completeness of the result. Unlike sense 1 (COMPLETELY), which focuses on the decisiveness of an outcome, sense 4 highlights the manner of physical force. Non-human subjects (waves, wind) also occur naturally with this sense but not with others.