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