deeply

deep‧ly W3 /ˈdiːpli/ BrE AmE adverb
[Word Family: noun: ↑deep, ↑depth; adjective: ↑deep, deepening; verb: ↑deepen; adverb: ↑deeply]
1. used to emphasize that a belief, feeling, opinion etc is very strong, important, or sincere:
Her lies hurt my father deeply.
She is deeply upset.
He loves her deeply.
Teachers are deeply divided on this issue.
deeply held religious beliefs
2. in a serious, careful way:
Most doctors think deeply about what their patients want.
3. a long way into something
deeply into
John kept sinking more deeply into the mud.
4. breathe deeply to take a large breath of air into your lungs
5. sleep deeply to be in a deep sleep, from which it is hard to wake up

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

deeply

deep·ly [deeply] [ˈdiːpli] [ˈdiːpli] adverb
1. very; very much
• She is deeply religious.
• They were deeply disturbed by the accident.
• Opinion is deeply divided on this issue.
• deeply rooted customs/ideas

• deeply held beliefs/convictions/views (= that sb feels very strongly)

2. used with some verbs to show that sth is done in a very complete way
• to breathe/sigh/exhale deeply (= using all of the air in your lungs)
• sleep deeply (= in a way that makes it difficult for you to wake up)

• to think deeply (= about all the aspects of sth)

3. to a depth that is quite a long way from the surface of sth
• to drill deeply into the wood
Which Word?:
deep / deeply
The adverbs deep and deeply can both mean ‘a long way down or into something’. Deep can only mean this and is more common than deeply in this sense. It is usually followed by a word like into or below: ▪ We decided to go deeper into the jungle.

Deeply usually means ‘very much’: ▪ deeply in love ◊ ▪ deeply shocked. You can use deep down (but not deeply) to talk about a person’s real nature: ▪ She can seem stern, but deep down she’s a very kind person. ◊ She can seem stern, but deeply she’s a very kind person.

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

deeply / ˈdiːp.li / adverb

B2 extremely or strongly:

I'm deeply grateful to you.

He found her comments deeply irritating/offensive.

We don't want to get too deeply involved with these people.

After 20 years of marriage, they're still deeply in love.

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

deeply

deep·ly /ˈdiːpli/ adv [more ~; most ~]
1 : in a way that is very complete, extreme, strongly felt, etc. : in a deep way
• They fell deeply in love.
• The car expenses sent him even more deeply into debt.
• He asked us to think deeply [=to think seriously and for a long time] about the issue, because he felt it was very important.
• I'm deeply [=very, extremely] sorry.
• He came from a deeply religious family.
• They're deeply [=sharply] divided on the issues.
• I thought the movie was deeply moving/disturbing. = I was deeply moved/disturbed by the movie.
• a deeply flawed design
• The senator gave a deeply personal speech last night.
• We are all deeply committed to peace.
• The beliefs are deeply ingrained/embedded/entrenched in American culture.
• deeply held beliefs/values
• deeply felt emotions
• She cares very deeply about/for him.
• These traditions are deeply rooted in the past. = They are rooted deeply in the past.
2 : far into or below the surface of something
• The designs are carved/cut deeply into the wooden chairs.
• deeply buried beneath the snow
- often used figuratively
• You'll have to dig/delve deeply into the library to find that information.
3
✦If you breathe deeply or sigh deeply, you take a large amount of air into your lungs when you breathe or sigh.
4
✦If you are sleeping deeply, you are thoroughly asleep and it is hard to wake you up.