incontrovertibly
part of speech
adverb (incontrovertibly; from the adjective incontrovertible)
meaning for a pupil
1) (formal) In a way that nobody can argue against or prove wrong, because the facts are completely clear. tree →
2) Without any possible doubt; certainly. tree →
sense in the lessons
Used in the stiff exam voice, in science reports and in detective stories when the evidence is so strong that the question is closed: «the footprints incontrovertibly showed…». It tells the reader that a claim is settled, not just likely. In maths it is close to «proved»: a proof shows something incontrovertibly. Often comes in «incontrovertibly true», «incontrovertibly proved», «incontrovertibly linked».
examples
- The video incontrovertibly showed that the ball crossed the line. tree →
- The experiment proved incontrovertibly that plants need light to grow. tree →
- The fingerprints incontrovertibly linked the thief to the broken window. tree →
- It is incontrovertibly true that 2 + 2 = 4. tree →
- The results were incontrovertibly clear, so the teacher did not ask us to repeat the test. tree →
- «You took the last biscuit,» said Mum, «and the crumbs prove it incontrovertibly.» tree →
- Scientists have shown incontrovertibly that the Earth goes round the Sun. tree →
note
A long formal word; in everyday talk people say «without a doubt», «definitely» or «beyond question». Stress: in-con-tro-VER-ti-bly. Do not mix it up with «controversially» (in a way that causes arguments) – it means almost the opposite. Be careful: writers sometimes use it for things that are only very likely; true incontrovertible proof leaves no room for doubt at all.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «incontrovertibly» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.