Repulsively

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. In a way that is strikingly distasteful or loathsome
2. Done in a way that strongly provokes dislike or rejection
3. Expressed so as to deeply offend the senses or sensibilities

Etymology: "Repulsively" is a plain formation: the adjective "repulsive" with the suffix "-ly" added to turn it into an adverb. The adjective descends from Latin "repellere," meaning "to drive back," built from "re-" (back) and "pellere" (to drive), and it entered English in the sense of something that repels or drives away. The adverb inherits its ending from a much older source: the suffix traces back through Old English "-līċe," and ultimately to Proto-Germanic ""-līkōn," a formation meaning "in the manner of" or "having the appearance of" a thing. The suffix's deeper ancestry is also visible in its root, which goes back to Proto-Indo-European ""leyg-," meaning "body" or "form." So the ending that makes "repulsively" describe an action carried out in a particular way once meant something close to "in a body-like" or "in the form of" a given quality.

Synonyms: disgustingly, offensively, repugnantly

Antonyms: pleasantly, agreeably