Meanings
-ly1
suffix-ly (adjective-forming suffix, comparative more -ly or -lier, superlative most -ly or -liest)
comparative more -ly · comparative -lier · superlative most -ly · superlative -liest
- Used to form adjectives from nouns specifying time intervals, the adjectives having the sense of "occurring at such intervals".
day + -ly → daily
1 more example
month + -ly → monthly
-ly2
suffix-ly (adverb-forming suffix, comparative more -ly, superlative most -ly)
comparative more -ly · superlative most -ly
- Used to form adverbs from adjectives and nouns.
year + -ly → yearly
5 more examples
sudden + -ly → suddenly
eerie + -ly → eerily
gluey + -ly → gluily
docile + -ly → docilely
irretrievable + -ly → irretrievably
Synonyms & antonyms
suffixUsed to form adjectives from nouns, the adjectives having the sense of "appearing like, resembling, or having the likeness of what is denoted by the noun".
suggesting degree
Similar
Origin
-ly · suffix
- Proto-Germanic*-līkaz“having the body or form of”
- Proto-West Germanic*-līk
- Old English-līċ
- Middle English-ly
- English-ly
From Middle English -ly, -li, -lik, -lich, -like, from Old English -līċ, from Proto-West Germanic *-līk, from Proto-Germanic *-līkaz (“having the body or form of”), from *līką (“body”) (whence lich). In form, probably influenced by Old Norse -ligr (“-ly”) (Norwegian Bokmål -lig, Faroese -ligur, Icelandic -legur). Cognate with Dutch -lijk, German -lich, Danish -lig and Swedish -lig. Doublet of -like, more at like.
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →-ly · suffix
- Proto-Indo-European*leyg-
- Proto-Germanic*līką
- English-ly
From Middle English -ly, -li, -liche, from Old English -līċe.
More words from Middle English, Old English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Basque -eki
- -ekiused to form adverbs from adjectives
Catalan -ment
- -mentused to form adverbs from adjectives
Chinese Mandarin 地, 的
- 地 (di)forming adjectives from nouns, in the sense "similar to, like, characteristic of"
- 的 (de)forming adjectives from nouns, in the sense "similar to, like, characteristic of"
- 地 (de)used to form adverbs from adjectives
Czech -ě
- -ěused to form adverbs from adjectives
Danish -lig, -agtig
- -ligforming adjectives from nouns, in the sense "similar to, like, characteristic of"
- -agtigforming adjectives from nouns, in the sense "similar to, like, characteristic of"
- -ligforming adjectives from nouns, in the sense "occurring at such intervals"
Dutch -achtig, -lijk
- -achtigforming adjectives from nouns, in the sense "similar to, like, characteristic of"
- -lijkforming adjectives from nouns, in the sense "similar to, like, characteristic of"
- -igforming adjectives from nouns, in the sense "similar to, like, characteristic of"
- -lijksforming adjectives from nouns, in the sense "occurring at such intervals"
- no change in form)used to form adverbs from adjectives
- -erwijsused to form adverbs from adjectives
- -lijkused to form adverbs from adjectives
- -jesused to form adverbs from adjectives
- genoegused to form adverbs from adjectives
Esperanto -a, -e
- -aforming adjectives from nouns, in the sense "similar to, like, characteristic of"
- -eused to form adverbs from adjectives
Estonian -lt
- -ltused to form adverbs from adjectives
Finnish -mainen, -sti
- -mainenforming adjectives from nouns, in the sense "similar to, like, characteristic of"
- -stiused to form adverbs from adjectives
French -ment, -ment
- -mentforming adjectives from nouns, in the sense "similar to, like, characteristic of"
- -mentused to form adverbs from adjectives
German -lich, -ig
- -lichforming adjectives from nouns, in the sense "similar to, like, characteristic of"
- -igforming adjectives from nouns, in the sense "similar to, like, characteristic of"
- -ischforming adjectives from nouns, in the sense "similar to, like, characteristic of"
- -haftforming adjectives from nouns, in the sense "similar to, like, characteristic of"
- -lichforming adjectives from nouns, in the sense "occurring at such intervals"
- -erweiseused to form adverbs from adjectives
- -lichused to form adverbs from adjectives
Greek -α
- -α (-a)used to form adverbs from adjectives
Hebrew ב־
- ב־ (be-/bi-)used to form adverbs from adjectives
Hungarian -s, -os
- -sforming adjectives from nouns, in the sense "similar to, like, characteristic of"
- -osforming adjectives from nouns, in the sense "similar to, like, characteristic of"
- -asforming adjectives from nouns, in the sense "similar to, like, characteristic of"
- -esforming adjectives from nouns, in the sense "similar to, like, characteristic of"
- -ösforming adjectives from nouns, in the sense "similar to, like, characteristic of"
- -iforming adjectives from nouns, in the sense "similar to, like, characteristic of"
- -iasforming adjectives from nouns, in the sense "similar to, like, characteristic of"
- -iesforming adjectives from nouns, in the sense "similar to, like, characteristic of"
- -iforming adjectives from nouns, in the sense "occurring at such intervals"
- -anused to form adverbs from adjectives
- -enused to form adverbs from adjectives
- -lagused to form adverbs from adjectives
- -legused to form adverbs from adjectives
- -lused to form adverbs from adjectives
- -ulused to form adverbs from adjectives
- -ülused to form adverbs from adjectives
Icelandic -legur, -lega
- -legurforming adjectives from nouns, in the sense "similar to, like, characteristic of"
- -legaused to form adverbs from adjectives
Italian -mente
- -menteused to form adverbs from adjectives
Japanese ...く, ...に
- ...くused to form adverbs from adjectives
- ...に (-ni)used to form adverbs from adjectives
Latin -ē, -iter
- -ēused to form adverbs from adjectives
- -iterused to form adverbs from adjectives
Latvian -i
- -iused to form adverbs from adjectives
Lithuanian -i
- -iused to form adverbs from adjectives
Persian مآبانه, ـانه
- مآبانه (-me-âbâne)forming adjectives from nouns, in the sense "similar to, like, characteristic of"
- ـانه (-âne)used to form adverbs from adjectives
- ـیها (-ihâ)used to form adverbs from adjectives
Polish -owy, -ny
- -owyforming adjectives from nouns, in the sense "similar to, like, characteristic of"
- -nyforming adjectives from nouns, in the sense "similar to, like, characteristic of"
- co-forming adjectives from nouns, in the sense "occurring at such intervals"
- -oused to form adverbs from adjectives
- -ieused to form adverbs from adjectives
Portuguese -oso, -ento
- -osoforming adjectives from nouns, in the sense "similar to, like, characteristic of"
- -entoforming adjectives from nouns, in the sense "similar to, like, characteristic of"
- -menteforming adjectives from nouns, in the sense "similar to, like, characteristic of"
- -menteused to form adverbs from adjectives
Russian -ский, -ски
- -ский (-skij)forming adjectives from nouns, in the sense "similar to, like, characteristic of"
- -ски (-ski)forming adjectives from nouns, in the sense "similar to, like, characteristic of"
- еже- (ježe-)forming adjectives from nouns, in the sense "occurring at such intervals"
- -о (-o)used to form adverbs from adjectives
- -е (-e)used to form adverbs from adjectives
- по-...-ски (po-...-ski)used to form adverbs from adjectives
- -ски (-ski)used to form adverbs from adjectives
Spanish -oso, -mente
- -osoforming adjectives from nouns, in the sense "similar to, like, characteristic of"
- -menteused to form adverbs from adjectives
- de manera/forma/modoused to form adverbs from adjectives
- a loused to form adverbs from adjectives
- en claveused to form adverbs from adjectives
- con carácter/tonoused to form adverbs from adjectives
Swedish -aktig, -artad
- -aktigforming adjectives from nouns, in the sense "similar to, like, characteristic of"
- -artadforming adjectives from nouns, in the sense "similar to, like, characteristic of"
- -ligforming adjectives from nouns, in the sense "similar to, like, characteristic of"
- -iskforming adjectives from nouns, in the sense "similar to, like, characteristic of"
- -ligforming adjectives from nouns, in the sense "occurring at such intervals"
- -tused to form adverbs from adjectives
Turkish -ca, -ça
- -caforming adjectives from nouns, in the sense "similar to, like, characteristic of"
- -çaforming adjectives from nouns, in the sense "similar to, like, characteristic of"
- -ceforming adjectives from nouns, in the sense "similar to, like, characteristic of"
- -çeforming adjectives from nouns, in the sense "similar to, like, characteristic of"
- -cılforming adjectives from nouns, in the sense "similar to, like, characteristic of"
- -çılforming adjectives from nouns, in the sense "similar to, like, characteristic of"
- -cilforming adjectives from nouns, in the sense "similar to, like, characteristic of"
- -çilforming adjectives from nouns, in the sense "similar to, like, characteristic of"
- -likforming adjectives from nouns, in the sense "occurring at such intervals"
- bir şekildeused to form adverbs from adjectives
- -ceused to form adverbs from adjectives
- -caused to form adverbs from adjectives
- -çeused to form adverbs from adjectives
- -çaused to form adverbs from adjectives
Ukrainian що- -ний
- що- -ний (ščo- -nyj)forming adjectives from nouns, in the sense "occurring at such intervals"
Urdu -ی
- -ی (-ī)forming adjectives from nouns, in the sense "similar to, like, characteristic of"
Welsh -us
- -usforming adjectives from nouns, in the sense "similar to, like, characteristic of"
Cite this entry
APA
-ly. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/-ly
MLA
“-ly.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/-ly. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “-ly,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/-ly.
Source: -ly on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.