adv
squarely
SKWEH-uh-lee
adv
1
Directly and firmly, without ambiguity.
"The blame lies squarely with management."
"He looked her squarely in the eye and admitted the truth."
2
At a right angle; in the shape of a square.
"The picture frame was hung squarely on the wall."
How to Use Squarely
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishDirectly and firmly, without hedging — or literally, at right angles.
Common pairings
squarely at fault
land squarely
look someone squarely in the eye
Word Forms
more squarely comparative, most squarely superlative
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Etymology
From square + -ly, first recorded in the writings of Robert Recorde around 1557.