Incomprehensively

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. in a way that is beyond understanding and difficult to grasp
2. in a manner that is unclear and not readily comprehensible
3. In a way that is hard to make sense of or fully grasp

Etymology: "Incomprehensively" is a plain formation: the adjective "incomprehensive" with the adverbial ending "-ly" added. The adjective is itself built from "in-", a negating prefix that came into English from Latin, and "comprehensive," which traces back through Latin "comprehendere," meaning "to grasp together" or "to seize fully," with the sense of taking hold of something all at once. So "incomprehensive" describes something that cannot be grasped in full, and "incomprehensively" describes doing so in that manner. The ending has a longer ancestry. The "-ly" suffix descends from Old English "-līċe," which in turn goes back to a Germanic word meaning "body" or "form" and reflects the idea of "in the manner of" or "in the shape of" something. Over centuries it became the standard way to turn an adjective into an adverb, which is why English can attach it to almost any adjective, including a newer one like this.

Synonyms: unintelligibly, obscurely

Antonyms: clearly, intelligibly