Rebelliously

Part of speech: adverb

Pronunciation: /ɹəˈbɛljəsli/

Definitions

1. In a way that shows resistance to authority or tradition
2. Conducted with an attitude of defiance towards rules or social norms
3. Acting in a way that challenges or refuses to obey imposed authority or established customs

Etymology: "Rebelliously" is a plain formation: the adjective "rebellious" with the suffix "-ly" added to turn it into an adverb, so it describes acting in the manner of a rebel. The adjective is itself built from "rebel", which came into English from Old French and Latin, with the Latin root meaning to make war again, so the adverb inherits that sense of renewed resistance. The suffix has a longer ancestry than the word it sits on. "-ly" descends from an Old English form "-līce", which was itself an adjective-forming element meaning "having the form or appearance of", and which was used to build adverbs from adjectives. Over the Middle English period its spelling shrank to "-ly", and that ending now does this job on thousands of English words.

Synonyms: defiantly, disobediently

Antonyms: obediently, submissively