Punishingly

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. In a fashion that imposes severe hardship or suffering
2. With a degree of intensity that results in extreme difficulty or torment
3. Done in a manner that inflicts heavy hardship or intense challenge

Etymology: "Punishingly" is a plain formation: the adjective "punishing" with the suffix "-ly" attached to turn it into an adverb. The adjective itself comes from "punish," which descends from Latin "punire," meaning to inflict a penalty, and the suffix traces back through Old English "-līce," a word that meant "in the manner of" or "like," to a Proto-Germanic root tied to the idea of body or form. The suffix is the older and more productive part of the story. Old English "-līce" was attached to adjectives freely to produce adverbs, and it gradually shortened to the "-ly" we use now, a change that took place over the Middle English period. Because the ending was so flexible, English speakers could attach it to almost any adjective, and "punishingly" follows the same pattern as countless other adverbs formed this way.

Synonyms: severely, harshly, extremely, cruelly

Antonyms: gently, mildly, softly