Guiltily

Part of speech: adverb

Pronunciation: /ˈɡɪltˌɪli/

Definitions

1. In a manner showing or expressing a feeling of having done something wrong or blameworthy
2. In a manner characterized by an acknowledgment of wrongdoing or a sense of blame that affects one's emotional state
3. In a way that reveals an awareness of one's misdeeds or an internal struggle with feelings of remorse or shame

Etymology: "Guiltily" is a plain formation: the adjective "guilty" with the suffix "-ly" added. The suffix has a long ancestry of its own. It descends from a Proto-Germanic word meaning "body" or "form", which came to be used as a second element meaning "like" or "in the manner of", so that adding it to a word turned the adjective into an adverb describing how something was done. In Old English this appeared as "-līce", which became Middle English "-ly" and eventually the modern suffix used in countless adverbs. "Guilty" itself comes from Old English "gyltig" and "gylt", a word meaning "crime" or "offence", and the adjective sense of having committed a wrong developed from that noun. So "guiltily" describes acting in the manner of someone who has done wrong, a sense that follows directly from the adjective.

Synonyms: remorsefully, shamefully

Antonyms: innocently