Literary notes about distinctly (AI summary)
Writers often use "distinctly" to underscore clarity and precision in perception or expression. It signals that a quality—be it a memory, observation, or spoken word—is remarkably clear and unambiguous. In narratives, the word emphasizes vivid impressions, such as when a boy’s attraction is so clear that it remains "distinctly" imprinted on his memory [1] or when vast landscapes suddenly come into focus [2, 3]. It can also highlight the careful articulation of ideas or sounds, ensuring that the reader perceives every nuance of speech or thought, as when words are intentionally crafted to be heard "distinctly" [4, 5]. In this way, "distinctly" functions as a powerful literary tool to draw attention to aspects of clarity and definition within the text.
- The impression was not simple, but the boy liked it: distinctly it remained on his mind as an attraction, almost obscuring Quincy itself.
— from The Education of Henry Adams by Henry Adams - A range of hills lay against the sky in the horizon, and soon the rows of palms which adorn Bombay came distinctly into view.
— from Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne - What were before undefined, vague blurs in the distant countryside could now be distinctly seen.
— from Anna Karenina by graf Leo Tolstoy - “She saith unto Him,” (And drawing a painful breath, Sonia read distinctly and forcibly as though she were making a public confession of faith.)
— from Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - He continued, uttering each word distinctly, calmly, steadily, but not loudly— “It simply consists in the existence of a previous marriage.
— from Jane Eyre: An Autobiography by Charlotte Brontë
