French Conversation · Level 114
59 words
French word
drôlement
Pronunciation
IPA/dʁoləmɑ̃/
Meaning
- adverbreally
Example
Il est drôlement gentil avec elle.
He is really kind to her.
More examples
Elle a trouvé le film drôlement ennuyeux.
She found the film terribly boring.
Core concept
A conversational volume dial turned high, with a possible jolt of surprise or oddness.
Common phrases
drôlement sympa
awfully nice
drôlement bien
awfully well
drôlement ennuyeux
terribly boring
Similar words
très: A basic adverb expressing a very high degree.
vraiment: An intensifying adverb meaning really or truly.
tellement: An adverb expressing an especially great degree or amount.
super: An informal adverb meaning extremely.
Definition in French
S'emploie surtout à l'oral pour intensifier un adjectif ou un verbe; généralement synonyme de très, parfois chargé d'étonnement.
Word origin
Drôlement combines the adjective drôle with the adverbial suffix -ment, and its intensifying use grew from the idea of doing something in a strange or remarkable way.
Usage tips
- In a phrase such as "drôlement gentil", context can make the word mean either "very" or "strangely", so the English rendering depends on the speaker's tone.