adjectively

Adjectively is an adverb in English that means in an adjectival manner or in a way that uses adjectives to describe a noun. It is formed from the adjective root plus the suffix -ly and is used primarily in grammar and linguistic discussions to label the role of adjectives in phrases or sentences.

In practice, adjectively signals that a word or description functions as an adjective rather than as an adverb or another part of speech. For example, in the phrase green tea, the word green is used adjectively to describe the noun tea; it modifies the noun and indicates a property of the noun rather than modifying a verb or another adjective.

The term helps distinguish between different grammatical functions. Adjectives can be attributive (appearing before the noun, as in a green apple) or predicative (following a linking verb, as in the apple is green). Discussions of adjectival vs. adverbial usage often appear in syntax and morphology, with adjectively helping to clarify when a description is provided by an adjective.

Outside of technical writing, adjectively is rarely needed in everyday speech. It primarily appears in grammar manuals, linguistic articles, and educational contexts where the goal is to describe how language describes things. Related terms include adjective, adjectival, and adverb, which cover the broader set of words and functions that modify or describe nouns and actions.