Goofily

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. In a manner that showcases a carefree silliness or humor
2. In a manner that displays playful or amusing foolishness
3. Acting in a way that is lightheartedly clumsy or awkward

Etymology: Goofily is simply goofy plus the adverb-forming suffix "-ly", and the adjective is the one that carries the older history. Goofy descends from "goof", a word that has long meant a foolish or stupid person, and the "-y" ending turns that noun into an adjective meaning silly or ridiculous. The root traces back through Proto-Germanic roots, with the "-y" passing through Old English and Middle English along the way. The suffix "-ly" has an equally long pedigree. It comes from Old English "-līce", which was itself a form of an adjective ending related to "līc", meaning body or form. Over centuries the ending was attached to adjectives to show the manner in which something happens, so "goofy" became "goofily" in the same way that "happy" became "happily" or "slow" became "slowly". Because the suffix is so productive, goofily needed no special coinage. It reads as a plain, transparent formation, and its meaning follows directly from its parts: an action done in a goofy, playfully silly way.

Synonyms: silly, foolishly

Antonyms: seriously