Resistantly

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. Having a disposition that actively counters or endures external forces or pressures
2. Demonstrating an unwavering attitude in the face of influences that attempt to exert change or pressure
3. In a way that shows strong opposition to or endurance of external forces or attempts to cause change

Etymology: "Resistantly" is a plain formation: the adjective "resistant" with the suffix "-ly" added to turn it into an adverb. The adjective "resistant" came into English from French "résistant," the present participle of "résister," which in turn traces back through Latin "resistere," meaning "to stand back" or "to withstand." The root beneath all of this is the same stock of Indo-European material that gave English so many words about standing firm and leaning against things. The suffix does the real work here. The ending "-ly" descends from an old Germanic word for "body" or "form," which was used to build descriptions of how something looks or behaves. Over the centuries, Old English "-līċe" wore down to Middle English "-ly," and attaching it to an adjective became the everyday way to say "in the manner of" that adjective. "Resistantly" therefore means, quite literally, "in a resistant manner."

Synonyms: defiantly, obstinately

Antonyms: compliantly, agreeably