Radically

Part of speech: adverb

Pronunciation: /ˈɹædɪkli/

Definitions

1. In a manner that is significantly transformative, impacting the core aspects of a subject or concept
2. In a way that represents fundamental change or a departure from the norm, altering the essence of something at its foundation
3. In a manner that is thorough and extreme, changing or affecting something completely ; in a way that pertains to the most basic underlying principles or root causes

Etymology: Radically is built from the noun "radical" plus the adverbial ending "-ly," and the adjective it comes from is itself a kind of double-track word. One line of descent runs through Latin "rādīx," meaning "root," which gave English "radix," a plant's root or the base of a number system. The other runs through Latin "rādīcālis," meaning "having roots," whose sense of "root" became the basis for "radical" in its political and mathematical senses. The adverb therefore carries the literal image of a root in its ancestry. Something done "radically" goes down to the root of a matter rather than trimming its surface, and this is the sense the modern meaning preserves. The "-ally" ending that appears in some accounts is the same suffix in its fuller form, found in adverbs like "basically" and "musically," which is why both paths lead to the same word.

Synonyms: fundamentally, extremely, thoroughly, thoroughgoing, thorough

Antonyms: slightly, mildly, superficially, partially, moderately