Demotivatingly

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. Relating to the manner in which something serves to discourage or reduce motivation in a person
2. In a way that diminishes enthusiasm or interest, leading to a lack of drive
3. Characterizing actions or attitudes that negatively impact an individual's motivation and resolve

Etymology: "Demotivatingly" is a straightforward formation: the adverb of "demotivating," which is "demotivate" plus the participial ending "-ing," with "-ly" added to turn it into an adverb. The verb "demotivate" is itself built from "de-" (here meaning "reduce or undo") and "motivate," which in turn comes from the Medieval Latin "motivus," meaning "moving" or "causing motion," from Latin "movere." The verb "motivate" dates to the 1800s, while "demotivate" appeared in the 20th century, as "motivate" acquired a psychological sense of prompting someone to act. The "de-" prefix, borrowed through French from Latin, has long been used to form verbs meaning to remove or reverse something, as in "deforest" or "decentralize."