Advertently

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. In a manner that reflects intentional awareness or conscious choice
2. Characterized by a purposeful act done with full attention or knowledge of the consequences involved
3. In a way that shows deliberate intent or conscious decision

Etymology: "Advertently" is a plain formation: the adjective "advertent," meaning attentive or heedful, plus the adverbial suffix "-ly." The adjective "advertent" is the older part, and its suffix story is the more interesting one. The "-ly" ending traces back a long way, through Old English "-līċe" and Proto-Germanic "*-līkaz," to a root meaning "body" or "form" that also gave English "like" and "lich" (as in lichgate). An adverb in "-ly" is, at bottom, a description of how something is done in the manner of a particular shape or appearance. Because "advertent" means attentive, its adverb naturally carries the sense of doing something on purpose, with conscious attention. Careful writers often use "advertently" to mean deliberately, while "inadvertently" describes the reverse. The word thus sits at the point where attention and intent meet.

Synonyms: knowingly, intentionally, deliberately

Antonyms: inadvertently, unintentionally