Compassionately

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. with empathetic concern and sympathetic understanding for another's suffering or difficulties
2. in a manner showing deep care and emotional sensitivity toward someone else's pain or hardship
3. through actions or words demonstrating heartfelt concern and merciful regard for the troubles of others

Etymology: "Compassionately" is a plain English formation: the adjective "compassionate" with the suffix "-ly" added to turn it into an adverb meaning "in a compassionate manner." The suffix itself has a long pedigree. It descends from a Proto-Germanic word meaning "body" or "form," which in compound use came to mean "like" or "in the manner of," so that words ending in it described how something was done or looked. That suffix passed through Old English as "-līċe," then Middle English "-ly," and it has been attached to adjectives ever since. The adjective "compassionate" is the other half of the story, and its own history explains why the adverb carries the sense of "suffering with" someone that the root implies. Once the suffix was in place, adding it to "compassionate" was an ordinary step in English word-building, which is why the adverb sounds as settled as it does.

Synonyms: empathetically, sympathetically

Antonyms: coldly, indifferently