Unconditionally

How to spell unconditionally

15 letters · 6 syllables

How to pronounce unconditionally

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does unconditionally mean?

1. adverbIn a way that is complete and absolute, with no conditions, limits, or requirements attached.

Unconditionally in a sentence

• The bank agreed to release the funds unconditionally once the audit cleared.

• She supported her son unconditionally through every setback in his career.

Where does unconditionally come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This long adverb is built up in layers from the Latin condicio, meaning an agreement, terms, or a stipulation, which itself came from condicere, 'to agree upon' or 'to speak together', a blend of con- ('with, together') and dicere ('to say or speak'). English took 'condition' through Old French during the 1300s, originally meaning a stated term or requirement. From the noun came the adjective 'conditional', describing something dependent on terms being met, and adding the negating prefix un- produced 'unconditional', meaning bound by no terms at all. The final '-ly' turns it into the adverb 'unconditionally', describing an action done without any limits or strings attached. The very same dicere root that underlies 'condition' also sits inside 'dictate', 'predict', and 'verdict', and the buried '-dition-' spelling, sounded as a soft 'dish', is the main reason writers stumble over the middle of this word.

How the word is built

• un- (not)
• con- (with/together)
• dition (from condicio: agreement, stipulation)
• -al (adjective)
• -ly (adverb)