thusly

thusly
thus, thusly
Thus is a word with an awkward role in modern English. Used sparingly and appropriately, it is highlȳ effective, whereas when over-used it can seem stilted and affected. It has two basic meanings, (1) ‘in this way’, and (2) ‘accordingly, therefore’. In the first meaning, it is placed in the same position as ‘in this way’ would be, but sits more comfortably before a verb or participle:

• He persistently declines to extend to the Press that assistance (such as circulating in advance scripts of major speeches, or sticking to the text of speeches thus pre-released) which so greatly facilitates newspaper production —Church Times, 1976.

In the second meaning, it can follow the word order used with therefore, except that initial position in a sentence often seems clumsy:

• Thus the parents, in conversation at home, are able to identify themselves with the place and people under discussion —Where, 1972.

In some uses, thus combines the two meanings:

• He attempts to defamiliarize and deconstruct the text and thus account for its persuasive power —Review of English Studies, 1984.

Thusly seems an unnecessary form, since thus is already an adverb, but it is used in AmE both in jocular and in formal contexts:

• On his way home George mused thusly —Boston Journal, 1889

• The division of responsibilities evolved thusly, with the help of a business consultant who enabled them to focus on specific areas —Art Business News, AmE 2002 [OEC].


Modern English usage. 2014.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • thusly — index a priori, consequently Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • thusly — 1865, from THUS (Cf. thus) + LY (Cf. ly) (2) …   Etymology dictionary

  • thusly — [thuslē] adv. Informal THUS (sense 1) …   English World dictionary

  • thusly — thus•ly [[t]ˈðʌs li[/t]] adv. use thus • Etymology: 1860–65, amer. usage: Usage guides generally regard thusly as a pointless synonym for thus . thusly is often used only for humorous effect …   From formal English to slang

  • thusly — /dhus lee/, adv. thus. [1860 65, Amer.; THUS + LY] Usage. Some speakers and writers regard THUSLY as a pointless synonym for THUS, and they avoid it or use it only for humorous effect. * * * …   Universalium

  • thusly — adverb /ˈðʌs.li/ thus (in this way). Stories never lose anything in the recital, and consequently this one grew thusly …   Wiktionary

  • thusly — adverb in the way indicated hold the brush so set up the pieces thus ( thusly is a nonstandard variant) • Syn: ↑thus, ↑so …   Useful english dictionary

  • thusly — adverb Date: 1865 in this manner ; thus …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Thusly — in this manner …   Dictionary of Australian slang

  • thusly — Australian Slang in this manner …   English dialects glossary

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