Adjectives: restricted or special -ly form¶
Adjective |
Flat adverb (normal) |
-ly form |
Status / Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
close |
close |
closely |
✔ exists but meaning changes (“carefully”) |
deep |
deep |
deeply |
✔ exists but usually figurative / intensity |
fast |
fast |
fastly |
❌ obsolete / not used |
far |
far |
farly |
❌ does not exist |
first |
first |
firstly |
✔ exists mainly in enumerations |
hard |
hard |
hardly |
✔ exists but different meaning (“almost not”) |
high |
high |
highly |
✔ exists but usually intensifying (“very / greatly”) |
last |
last |
lastly |
✔ exists mainly in enumerations |
late |
late |
lately |
✔ exists but different meaning (“recently”) |
long |
long |
longly |
❌ obsolete / not used |
main |
main |
mainly |
✔ exists but formal / “chiefly” meaning |
mere |
mere |
merely |
✔ exists but formal / limited use |
near |
near |
nearly |
✔ exists but meaning “almost” |
next |
next |
nextly |
❌ does not exist |
quick |
quick |
quickly |
✔ exists; flat form informal |
right |
right |
rightly |
✔ exists but formal / evaluative meaning |
slow |
slow |
slowly |
✔ exists; flat form informal, -ly formal |
sharp |
sharp |
sharply |
✔ exists but meaning changes (suddenly / precisely) |
soon |
soon |
soonly |
❌ does not exist |
straight |
straight |
straightly |
❌ very rare / archaic |
utter |
utter |
utterly |
✔ exists but lexicalized, not compositional |
wrong |
wrong |
wrongly |
✔ exists but formal / legal sense |