Adversely

How to spell adversely

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce adversely

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does adversely mean?

1. adverbIn a way that is harmful, unfavourable, or contrary to one's interests.

Adversely in a sentence

• The merger could adversely affect staff in the regional offices.

• High interest rates have adversely impacted the housing market.

Where does adversely come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This adverb traces back to the Latin adversus, meaning 'turned against' or 'facing in opposition'. That word was the past participle of advertere, formed from ad- 'to, toward' and vertere 'to turn', so the literal image is of something turned to face you in a hostile way. The adjective passed through Old French as advers or avers and settled into English in the 1300s as 'adverse', meaning unfavourable or contrary. The -ly adverb ending was then attached in the usual English way to give 'adversely', describing something happening in a harmful or unfavourable manner. The same vertere 'to turn' root also powers a large family of relatives such as 'convert', 'reverse', and 'version', and remembering that buried 'vers' (turn) helps fix the spelling, since the trap is the unstressed ending where writers may drop a letter or muddle the -sely.

How the word is built

• ad- (to, toward)
• vers (turn, from Latin vertere)
• -ly (adverb suffix)