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Glite Dictionary
✈️ Faster than sound ⚡ Very quickly
supersonically

supersonically

6.9
Faster than the speed of sound
  • adverb
  • /ˌsuːpərˈsɒnɪkli/
translation icon : supersónicamente
  • The aircraft flew supersonically, leaving a loud sonic boom in its wake.
  • operate supersonically

Examples

  • As the rocket ascended supersonically, it pierced through the atmosphere with incredible speed.

  • The outer atmosphere accelerates supersonically and is partly expelled into space.

    Academic text (2004)

  • As he ascends supersonically, you see puffy white altocumulus clouds whizzing by.

    Academic text (2002)

  • The jet can travel supersonically, allowing it to reach distant locations much faster than conventional planes.

Synonyms

at lightspeed
vssupersonically
  • Informal
1 5.1

To happen or be done very quickly

refers specifically to motion faster than sound rather than general great speed

How Fast

supersonically
6.9
quickly
∞ 1.0
briskly
24 3.5
slowly
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

supersonically positive

Morphology

supersonically = supersonic (transparent) = super + sonic + ally

Formed by the adjective 'supersonic' plus the adverbial suffix '-ally'; the meaning 'in a manner faster than sound' is compositionally clear.

Etymology

Supersonically comes from super- meaning 'above' or 'beyond' and sonic meaning 'sound', and the super- part is the same as in superstar. So, to move supersonically is to move 'faster than the speed of sound', like a plane that makes a 'sonic boom'.