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
When, however, the adjective ends in -ly already, the formation is awkward.
From A Handbook of the English Language by Latham, R. G. (Robert Gordon)
In some cases adverbs with -ly are used side by side with those without -ly, but with a different meaning.
From An English Grammar by Sewell, James Witt
Adverbs in -ly usually have more and most instead of the inflected form, only occasionally having -er and -est.
From An English Grammar by Sewell, James Witt
The fact that a word ends in -ly does not make it an adverb.
From An English Grammar by Sewell, James Witt
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.
