Angrily

How to spell angrily

7 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce angrily

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does angrily mean?

1. adverbIn a manner that shows or expresses anger.

Angrily in a sentence

• He slammed the door angrily after the meeting fell apart.

• She typed her reply angrily, regretting the tone later.

Where does angrily come from?

Language of origin: Old Norse

The word traces back to the noun anger, which English borrowed from Old Norse 'angr', meaning grief, sorrow, or trouble; in those early days it described distress more than rage. The adjective 'angry' was formed in English in the 1300s by adding the native suffix -y to anger, and the adverb 'angrily' followed by adding -ly. A spelling quirk appears here: when -ly attaches to an adjective ending in a consonant plus -y, that y regularly turns into an i, so angry becomes angrily, just as happy becomes happily. The same Old Norse root also lurks behind the rather milder word 'anguish' in some discussions of family resemblance, though anguish actually came through Latin and French. Remembering that the base is angry, with its final y switched to i, is the key to spelling angrily correctly.

How the word is built

• angr- (from angry, ultimately from anger)
• -i- (the y of angry changed to i)
• -ly (adverb suffix)