countlessly

Countlessly is an adverb that means to a very great extent or number; so many as to be impossible to count, or occurring so frequently as to be beyond measure. It derives from the adjective countless, formed from count + less, with the typical -ly suffix used to create adverbs in modern English. The word emphasizes scale or frequency rather than exact count.

In usage, countlessly is often placed before a noun or before a qualifying phrase to stress magnitude, for example countlessly many people, countlessly bright stars, or countlessly changing conditions. It can modify nouns via phrases like countlessly many or directly modify adjectives or verbs in some contexts, though many writers prefer the more transparent countless when describing quantity and countless times when describing repetition. The form is widely understood in both American and British English, though some editors consider it overly emphatic in formal writing and may prefer alternatives such as innumerable, countless, or too many to count, or simply many times depending on the sense.

Examples:

- Countlessly many people attended the concert.

- The night sky was countlessly bright with stars.

- The policy has faced countlessly changing criticisms since its introduction.

See also: countless, innumerable, incalculable, hyperbole.