Meanings
- not comparableproscribedthus (in this way).
His course can only be akkounted for thusly:
1866, Petroleum V. Nasby, Life of Androo Johnson5 more examples
Ar, tell me it is not so thusly as this thusness wouldst seem!
1865, Hingston, editor, Artemus Ward (His Travels) Among the MormonsHe had an attack of catarrh not long ago, and it happened, as J. Billings would say, "thusly:"
1866, Harper's MagazineStories never lose anything in the recital, and consequently this one grew thusly.
1893, Isabel Burton, The Life of Captain Sir Richard F. Burton KCMG, FRGS, volume IIThe history of the Universe has been summed up thusly: "Hydrogen is a light, odorless gas, which, given enough time, turns into people."
1995 December, John P. Wiley Jr, quoting Edward R. Harrison, Smithsonian MagazineGoing thusly, unwillingly at the bell, Answering the call to recycle my time.
1996, Charles Harding, High Rise Dwelling - not comparableproscribedthus (therefore)
She just handed me a bunch of papers to sort so, thusly, I'm sorting.
2011, Qui Nguyen, She Kills Monsters, spoken by Lilith, New York, N.Y.: Samuel French, scene IX1 more example
Lately, they [the prison authorities] came up with a new excuse. Seems like they consider owning a Gay publication is an expression of a person's sexuality and would thusly identify the person as a homosexual which would then subject him to assault or pressures.
1976 August 21, Calvin Keach, quotee, “Leavenworth, Again”, in Gay Community News, volume 4, number 8, page 2
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
From thus + -ly, dating from the 19th century, seemingly coined by educated writers to make fun of uneducated persons trying to sound genteel, with a false inference that thus is not an adverb.
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
thusly. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thusly
“thusly.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thusly. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “thusly,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/thusly.
Source: thusly on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.