Ineligibly

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. A situation where a person does not meet the necessary criteria to be regarded as qualified for a particular role or benefit
2. The condition in which an individual is deemed unsuitable for participation due to the absence of required qualifications or attributes
3. In a way that is difficult or impossible to read due to unclear handwriting or printing

Etymology: "Ineligibly" is a plain formation: the adjective "ineligible" with the adverb suffix "-ly" added to the end. The adjective itself is built from the prefix "in-", meaning "not", and "eligible," which comes from Latin "eligere," to choose out or select. So the adverb describes doing something in a way that fails to meet the conditions for selection. The suffix has a longer past than the adjective. "-ly" descends from an old Germanic word for "body" or "form," which appears in Proto-Germanic as "*līkaz," with the sense of "having the form or appearance of." Over time this element turned into a grammatical marker attached to adjectives to make adverbs, and in Old English it appeared as "-līce." Middle English shortened it to "-ly," and that spelling has remained in use ever since.

Synonyms: unqualifiedly

Antonyms: eligible