Atelically

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. Pertaining to a condition that is marked by an absence of completeness or a final outcome
2. Relating to activities that are characterized by not striving towards a particular objective or conclusive result
3. Describes a state or process that does not reach a definite ending or resolution ; characterizes behavior or actions that continue without aiming for a specific outcome

Etymology: "Atelically" is the adverbial form of "atelic," so its history is almost entirely the history of that adjective. "Atelic" is built from the Greek prefix "a-," meaning "without," and "telos," meaning "end," "goal," or "completion." The result is a term for something without a natural endpoint. In linguistics it describes verbs or actions that have no built-in conclusion, such as "walk" compared with "walk to the store." The suffix "-ally" is the standard English ending that turns an adjective into an adverb, as in "logically" from "logical" or "basically" from "basic." Adding it to "atelic" simply supplies the adverbial form, so "atelically" describes how an activity is carried out: without striving toward a set outcome.