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aggressively

American  
[uh-gres-iv-lee] / əˈgrɛs ɪv li /

adverb

  1. in an aggressive, militant, or menacing manner.

    The orders were to root out the entrenched rebels, swiftly and aggressively.

  2. in a highly competitive manner; with an aggressive effort to win.

    The series was aggressively played by both teams.

  3. in a vigorously or forcefully enterprising manner; ambitiously.

    an aggressively marketed line of cosmetics.

  4. in a pushy or boldly assertive manner.

    They continue to lobby aggressively for a safer workplace.

  5. Medicine/Medical.

    1. (of a disease’s or tumor’s viability) in a rapid and vigorous, highly invasive manner.

      The cancer has aggressively branched out to his lower intestine.

    2. in a highly potent, therapeutic, but risky manner, intended to destroy malignancy.

      Can the treatment aggressively target the tumor without harming healthy tissue?

  6. (of a plant’s growth habit) with an undesirable tendency to spread rapidly, especially where unwanted.

    Wild lotuses have aggressively flourished in both ponds, much to the dismay of local canoeists.


Other Word Forms

  • nonaggressively adverb
  • overaggressively adverb
  • unaggressively adverb

Etymology

Origin of aggressively

First recorded in 1790–95; aggressive ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In a study published in Science Bulletin, scientists from Peking University Health Science Center and the Harbin Veterinary Research Institute uncovered a previously unknown route that helps viruses spread faster and more aggressively.

From Science Daily

Hospitals are aggressively adopting AI for tasks that are less flashy but take up a significant amount of time and resources.

From The Wall Street Journal

"With both demand clarity and supply constraints converging, suppliers have steadily pushed prices upward, in some cases aggressively," he said.

From BBC

Those firms had access to cutting-edge technology, reams of research on just about every investible asset, and a devoted brokerage industry that fought aggressively for their business.

From The Wall Street Journal

At a furniture trade fair Soulard attended in Shanghai a few months ago, few American buyers showed up, he said, and Chinese exporters were pushing aggressively low prices to European ones.

From The Wall Street Journal