Effectively

Part of speech: adverb

Pronunciation: /ɪˈfɛktɪvli/

Definitions

1. In a way that produces the intended result or fulfills a purpose successfully
2. In a manner that achieves the desired outcome or accomplishes a specific goal efficiently
3. In such a way that an aim is successfully realized or a task is performed with significant impact

Etymology: "Effectively" is "effective" plus the adverb suffix "-ly," and the two halves come from quite different corners of the Latin vocabulary. The root is Latin "efficere," meaning "to accomplish" or "to bring about," built from "ex-" ("out") and "facere" ("to make" or "do"). From it came "effectivus" and then "effectīvus," which in Latin meant something close to "productive" or "having an effect," and which passed into English through the French "effectif." The adjective "effective" carried the sense of producing a result for centuries before the adverb appeared. The "-ly" ending is an Old English suffix, descended from a word meaning "body" or "form," which over time became the usual way to turn an adjective into an adverb of manner. Attaching it to "effective" produced a word meaning "in an effective way," and the sense "with real results," as opposed to merely "on paper" or in appearance, is the one that now dominates everyday use.

Synonyms: efficiently, successfully, capably, competently, productively

Antonyms: ineffectively, inefficiently, unproductively