adverb

1 of 2

noun

ad·​verb ˈad-ˌvərb 

: a word belonging to one of the major form classes in any of numerous languages, typically serving as a modifier of a verb, an adjective, another adverb, a preposition, a phrase, a clause, or a sentence, expressing some relation of manner or quality, place, time, degree, number, cause, opposition, affirmation, or denial, and in English also serving to connect and to express comment on clause content

In "arrived early" the word "early" is an adverb.

compare adjunct, conjunct, disjunct

adverb

2 of 2

adjective

: adverbial

the adverb suffix "-ly"

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What is an adverb?

Adverbs are words that usually modify—that is, they limit or restrict the meaning of—verbs. They may also modify adjectives, other adverbs, phrases, or even entire sentences.

An adverb answers the question when?, where?, how?, how much?, how long?, or how often?:

The elections are coming soon.

They only shopped locally.

They are happily married.

The roads are very steep.

He stopped by briefly to say hello.

My daughter calls me regularly.

Most adverbs are formed by adding -ly to an adjective. If the adjective already ends in -y, the -y usually changes to -i.

bold / boldly
solid / solidly
interesting / interestingly
heavy / heavily
unnecessary / unnecessarily

There are, however, many common adverbs that do not end in -ly, such as again, also, just, never, often, soon, today, too, very, and well.

There are a few different kinds of adverbs. The words when, where, why, and how are called interrogative adverbs when they begin a question.

When did the event occur?

Where is the proof?

Why was he so late?

How did they get here?

The relative adverbs—where, when, and why (how is sometimes included as well)—introduce subordinate clauses (also called dependent clauses), which are clauses that do not form simple sentences by themselves.

This is the house where I grew up.

They go to bed when they want to.

She wondered why the door was open.

When an adverb modifies a whole sentence or clause, it is called a sentence adverb. Words such as fortunately, frankly, hopefully, and luckily are generally used as sentence adverbs and usually express the speaker's feelings about the content of the sentence. Such adverbs normally come at the beginning of a sentence, but may also come in the middle or at the end.

Unfortunately, Friday will be cloudy.

Friday, unfortunately, will be cloudy.

Friday will be cloudy, unfortunately.

Examples of adverb in a Sentence

Noun

In “arrived early,” “runs slowly,” “stayed home,” and “works hard” the words “early,” “slowly,” “home,” and “hard” are adverbs.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Skilled writers use action beats to break up dialogue and convey emotion, rather than relying on adverbs. —Jd Barker, Rolling Stone, 10 Oct. 2024

Anonymous interviews were quoted on the record without attribution but using just the adverbs, which strongly implied that the chairman’s ex-wife is drinking again. —Bruce Headlam, The New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2024

Bottom Line: Don't rely on adverbs to prop up weak verbs. —Renae Gregoire, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024

The adjective is so much better than the adverb there. —Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 12 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English adverbe, borrowed from Middle French, borrowed from Latin adverbium (translation of Greek epírrhēma), from ad- ad- + verbum "word, utterance, verb" + -ium, suffix in compounds — more at word entry 1

Adjective

attributive use of adverb entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1875, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing adverb

• sentence adverb

Video

Drive Safe: In Praise of Flat Adverbs

You don't have to end all your adverbs in -ly to talk right.

Kids Definition

adverb

noun

ad·​verb

ˈad-ˌvərb

: a word used to modify a verb, an adjective, another adverb, a preposition, a phrase, a clause, or a sentence and often used to show degree, manner, place, or time

adverb adjective

adverbial

ad-ˈvər-bē-əl

adjective or noun

adverbially

-bē-ə-lē

adverb