-ally
/li/
-ally is the alternative form of -ly.
Meaning of -ly
Suffix (1)
-ly (adjective-forming suffix, comparative more -ly or -lier, superlative most -ly or -liest)
- Used to form adjectives from nouns, the adjectives having the sense of "behaving like, or having a nature typical of what is denoted by the noun" Similar in meaning to -like but most often paired with animate nouns.
- man + -ly → manly
- Used to form adjectives from nouns, the adjectives having the sense of "appearing like, resembling, or having the likeness of what is denoted by the noun".
- bloom + -ly → bloomly
- Used to form adjectives from nouns specifying time intervals, the adjectives having the sense of "occurring at such intervals".
- month + -ly → monthly
Suffix (2)
-ly (adverb-forming suffix, comparative more -ly, superlative most -ly)
Forms of -ally
| comparative | more -ally |
|---|---|
| superlative | most -ally |
| alternative form | ⠠⠽ |
Origin of -ally
From Middle English -ally, -alliche, a combination equivalent to -al (adjectival suffix) + -ly (adverbial suffix). The Middle English suffix was originally non-productive, and was from -ly adverbs based on nouns ending an -al. In modern usage the suffix has been reanalyzed and is now treated as a separate, productive suffix.
Questions about -ally
- What is -ally the alternative form of?
- -ally is the alternative form of -ly.
- How do you pronounce -ally?
- -ally is pronounced /li/.
Words near -ally in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: -ally (page history and authors); -ly (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Cite this entry: “-ally.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/-ally. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.