Unreactively

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. In a manner that shows no chemical change or reaction when exposed to other substances, or no visible emotional response to events
2. Without undergoing any chemical reaction, or without displaying any response to a stimulus, remaining inert and unaffected
3. Remaining inert and passive, showing no change or visible response when acted upon by a substance or an event

Etymology: Unreactively is built from three layers stacked on one Latin verb. The root is "agere," meaning "to drive" or "to do," which Latin speakers combined with "re-," meaning "back," to form "reagere," or "to act back." English took this as "react," then added the suffix "-ive" to make "reactive," an adjective for something inclined to respond to stimuli. English later attached "un-," a native prefix meaning "not," to give "unreactive," and finally "-ly" to turn it into an adverb. The "-ly" ending has an older history of its own. It descends from Old English "-lice," which is related to "lic," meaning "body" or "form," the same root that gives the modern word "like." An adverb such as "unreactively" therefore carries a faint trace of the idea "in a manner having the form of" the adjective it modifies.

Synonyms: unresponsively, passively, inertly

Antonyms: reactively