Pronominally

Pronominally is an adverb derived from the adjective pronominal. It means "in a pronoun-like way" or "with respect to pronouns." The term is primarily used in linguistic analysis and grammar descriptions rather than in everyday prose, and it serves to indicate that an action, form, or reference functions as or relates to pronouns.

In linguistic usage, pronominal forms encompass independent pronouns (I, you, he), possessive forms (mine, yours), and reflexive or reciprocal forms (myself, themselves), as well as pronominal clitics attached to verbs or other elements in some languages. Describing a word or construction as pronominally used emphasizes its role as a substitute for a noun phrase rather than functioning nominally. For example, in the sentence "She blames herself," the word herself is used pronominally to refer back to she.

The adverb pronominally is infrequent outside technical writing but appears in grammars, typological descriptions, and discussions of pronoun systems. Its etymology traces pronominally to the noun "pronoun", via the standard -al suffix and the adverbial -ly. Related terms include pronominal, pronoun, pronoun clitic, and pronominalization.