Unrepresentatively

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. Describing a manner that does not accurately reflect the typical characteristics of a group or category
2. Characterizing actions or representations that fail to depict the true nature of what they are supposed to illustrate
3. Indicating a way of presenting information that is misleading or not representative of the broader context or reality

Etymology: "Unrepresentatively" is a plain compound: the prefix "un-", meaning "not", attached to the adverb "representatively", which is itself built from "representative" plus the adverbial ending "-ly". Put together, the adverb describes doing something in a way that fails to stand for the whole, so that a sample, figure or picture gives a false impression of the larger picture. The base word "representative" comes from Latin "repraesentare", meaning "to present again" or "to make present", from "re-" and "praesentare", "to present". Its sense of standing in for others, as a delegate or a sample that stands for a group, grew out of that idea of making something present in another form. The "un-" prefix is an ordinary English negator and has been freely attached to adjectives and adverbs for centuries, which is why the word needed no special coinage.

Synonyms: nonrepresentatively, uncharacteristically

Antonyms: representatively, characteristically