Forcibly

How to spell forcibly

8 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce forcibly

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does forcibly mean?

1. adverbIn a way that uses physical force or compulsion.

Forcibly in a sentence

• The protesters were forcibly removed from the building by security.

• The locked door had to be forcibly opened after the keys were lost.

Where does forcibly come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin adjective fortis, meaning 'strong' or 'powerful', which also gave us 'force', 'fort', and 'fortitude'. From force English built the adjective 'forcible', meaning 'done by force', borrowed through Old French in the late Middle Ages. Adding the common adverb ending -ly produced 'forcibly', describing an action carried out with physical power or compulsion. The spelling trap lies in that middle vowel: the ending is -ibly, not -ably, because the adjective is 'forcible' rather than 'forcable'. Writers who hear the unstressed schwa often guess the wrong vowel, so remembering the 'forcible' base is the key to spelling it correctly.

How the word is built

• forc- (from Latin fortis: strong)
• -ible (able to be)
• -ly (adverb suffix)