Aggressively

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. In a forceful, hostile, or assertive manner that may involve confrontation or intense pressure
2. In a manner characterized by assertiveness, hostility, or intense force that often leads to confrontation or relentless pursuit
3. Displaying a bold and confrontational attitude, often marked by assertiveness, hostility, or vigorous action to achieve objectives

Etymology: Aggressively is a plain English build: the adjective "aggressive" with the adverb ending "-ly" attached. The adjective comes from "aggress-", the stem of the Latin verb "aggredi", meaning "to approach" or "to attack", formed from "ad" ("to") and "gradi" ("to step" or "walk"). So the word's deepest sense is literally "stepping toward" something. The adjective reached English through "aggressive" in the sense of an attacking force, and the adverb follows the regular English pattern of adding "-ly" to an adjective. The word's meaning moved from the physical act of walking toward someone to the hostile or forceful stance that the modern sense describes. The "-ive" ending came into English through Old French "-if", which in turn descends from Latin "-īvus", a suffix that turns verbs into adjectives describing tendency or capacity. The "-ly" ending is Old English in origin, from "-līċe", which meant "in the manner of" and was used to form adverbs from adjectives.

Synonyms: hostilely, forcefully, fiercely, intensely, boldly

Antonyms: passively, calmly, gently, submissively, mildly