Marvellously

Part of speech: adverb

Pronunciation: /ˈmɑːvələsli/

Definitions

1. In a manner that is wonderfully surprising and admirable
2. In an exceptionally impressive way that elicits awe
3. In a way that causes great admiration due to being outstanding or striking

Etymology: "Marvellously" is simply "marvellous" plus the adverb ending "-ly", and the adjective it comes from has an older, more tangled past. Its ancestor in Middle English was "merveilously", a form built on the Old French "merveille", meaning a wonder or marvel, which in turn came from Latin "mirabilia", the wonderful things. Over time the spelling shifted toward the modern "marvellous" while the "-ly" ending stayed attached. The word's history is therefore largely the history of its adjective. Medieval English speakers used "merveilously" to describe things that inspired astonishment, and the sense of "wondrous" carried into the modern adverb, so that to act marvellously is to act in a way that seems to belong to the realm of wonders.

Synonyms: wonderfully, remarkably, extraordinarily, fabulously, fantastically

Antonyms: poorly, badly, unremarkably, mediocrely, ordinarily