Divisively

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. Characterized by a tendency to create disagreement or division among people; promoting discord and conflict rather than unity or harmony; describing actions, statements, or attitudes that polarize individuals or groups against each other
2. Marked by the ability to split opinions or foster dissent among various parties; inciting controversy rather than fostering consensus; relating to behavior or comments that drive a wedge between differing viewpoints
3. Possessing the quality of fostering disagreement or contention among individuals; encouraging division instead of cooperation or understanding; involving the creation of polarizing issues or sentiments in discussions

Etymology: "Divisively" is an adverb built from "divisive" and the suffix "-ly," so the story is mostly the story of the adjective it comes from. "Divisive" was borrowed from Latin "dīvīsīvus," a formation from "dīvidere," meaning "to divide," which traces back to the Proto-Indo-European root ""leyg-," meaning "to leave" or "to separate." That root is an unexpected one: it is the same source of the English word "leave" in the sense of departing, so dividing and leaving share an ancestry. The suffix "-ly" has an older pedigree than the adjective it attaches to. It descends from Proto-Germanic ""-līkō," which combined with the noun meaning "body" or "form" to describe something having a particular appearance, so that "-like" once meant "having the form of." Old English "-līċe" wore down over centuries into Middle English "-ly" and eventually into the adverb marker used today.

Synonyms: contentiously, controversially

Antonyms: unifyingly, harmoniously