a suffix forming adverbs from adjectives: gladly; gradually; secondly.
a suffix meaning “every,” attached to certain nouns denoting units of time: hourly; daily.
an adjective suffix meaning “-like”: saintly; cowardly.
having the nature or qualities of
brotherly
godly
occurring at certain intervals; every
daily
yearly
Middle English adverb -li, -lich(e), Old English -līce ( -līc adjective suffix + -e adverb suffix); Middle English adjective -li, -ly, -lich(e), Old English -līc (cognate with German -lich ), suffixal use of gelīc “similar to, like”; see origin at like 1
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
And below is a list of most common -ly adverbs by author.
From Slate • Nov. 21, 2013
The adverbs in -ly are likely to go to the wall in the not too distant future for this very reason and in face of their obvious usefulness.
From Language An Introduction to the Study of Speech by Sapir, Edward
Wonderly, wondirlie, -ly, wondurly, wondyrly, wounderly, woundyrely, adv. wondrously 5.1, 6.1, 7.1, 8.4, 10.1, 11.1, 12.3, 13.5, 14.4, 16.3, 19.1, 20.6, 24.1, 30.25, 31.25.
From Erthe Upon Erthe by Various
The emphasis on the "-ly" was so pronounced, almost spasmodic, as to bring forth another laughing applause.
From Campfire Girls in the Allegheny Mountains or, A Christmas Success against Odds by Francis, Stella M.
Regarding the form of adverbs, ill-taught pupils often suppose that all words ending in "-ly" are adverbs, and that all adverbs end in "-ly."
From Practical Exercises in English by Buehler, Huber Gray
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
