Numbingly

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. In a manner that causes the loss of physical sensation or emotional responsiveness
2. Done so as to produce a dulling effect on feelings or awareness
3. Acting in a way that makes sensations or emotions feel numb or less intense

Etymology: "Numbingly" is a plain formation: the adjective "numbing" with the adverbial suffix "-ly" attached. "Numbing" comes from the verb "numb," which is the older and more basic word, and the participle-style ending has been turned into a description of manner, so that something acts "numbingly" when it deadens feeling in the way a cold or an injection does. The suffix has a long pedigree. "-ly" descends from an Old English form "-līce," which in turn traces back through Proto-Germanic "-līkō" to the Proto-Indo-European root "*leyg-," meaning "body" or "form," and the same ending gave English countless adverbs such as "quickly" and "slowly." Its original sense was roughly "in the shape or manner of," so "numbingly" literally means "in a numbing manner."

Synonyms: uncomfortably, insensibly, stupefyingly, tediously, monotonously

Antonyms: excitingly, stimulatingly, invigoratingly, interestingly, vividly