afraidly
Language: English
Part of speech: adv
Forms: form: more afraidly
form: most afraidly
Etymology: From Middle English affrayedly, affrayitly; equivalent to afraid + -ly.
Senses: examples: text: Birdes with many a piteous pew, / Afraidly in the Aire they flew. So long as they had ſtrength to flée / Then ſwattered down into the ſea:[…]
ref: 1648, David Lindsay, “A Dialogue, of the Miserable Estate of the World, Between Experience and the Courteour”, in The VVorkes of the Famous and Worthie Knight, Sʳ. David Lindsay. of the Mount, Alias, Lyon, King at Armes. […], Edinburgh: […] Gedeon Lithgovv:
text: He came back gain very affrayedly, and out at the door, and show[ed] so mony as bidden in the hall what he had heard, wha assayit to pass to the chalmer, to know what was there;
ref: 1572–1578, Domestic Annals of Scotland, published 1859, page 106:
text: When Scottishmen hes séene them sa / Affrayedly flee all their way[…]
ref: 1620, [John Barbour], The Actes and Life of the Most Victorious Conquerour, Robert Bruce, King of Scotland VVherein Also Are Contained the Martiall Deeds of the Valiant Princes, Edward Bruce, Syr Iames Dowglas, Erle Thomas Randel, Walter Stewart, and Sundrie Others, Edinburgh: […] Andro Hart, page 342:
text: […]; many honeſt men then followed, and made ſuch diligence, that they cauſed the French once to retire ſomewhat affrayedly.
ref: 1644, The Historie of the Reformation of the Church of Scotland; Containing Five Books: Together with Some Treatises Conducing to the History, London: […] John Raworth, for George Thomason and Octavian Pullen, page 204:
text: Could these be men just returned from battle?—those gentle, half-timid individuals who already had forgotten their morning’s lust and now were afraidly polite?
ref: 1919, Harold M[elvin] Hays, chapter II, in Cheerio!, New York, N.Y.: Alfred A. Knopf, page 31:
text: “Eyes—”[…]Charlie scribed directions. “Teeth —[…].” Charlie wrote. “Entire face—This show signs of dilapidation, elliptickle contortion & curviture of the smile. This need to be removed, stretched over portait of Apollo Belvedere and baked 4 hrs. at even temperature.” He pause slowly. I listen to his silence. “Are that all?” I pronounce distinctually. “All except your complexion,” he denote. “That of course should be bleached to match your new hair & eyes. I should snuggest the Wawaw Treatment.” “How you do that?” I jar afraidly. “Merely by placing your head in a tub of hot pineapple jam and keeping him there until satisfied,” he pulmote.
ref: 1924 March 23, Wallace Irwin, “Letters Of A Japanese Schoolboy: Togo Prefers His Own Style Of Beauty”, in The Sun, volume 24, number 12D, Baltimore, Md.:
text: Little rabbit hopping afraidly, if that’s fit to use outside the Poets Corner of the magazine, in the road ahead shys off fortunately, into the grass, and I breathe better.
ref: 1926 June 7, “The Daily Grist: Ground Out by the “Dusty” Miller: Rabbit”, in Wilmington News-Journal, eighty-ninth year, number 202, Wilmington, Ohio, page two:
text: Still Bill held the deposit slip in his hands half-afraidly, really wanting to hold the money, but the banker allayed those fears too.
ref: 1934 November 29, “Writer Recalls Good Old Days When Storekeeper Was Banker for Farmer”, in The Oklahoma News, volume 29, number 47, Oklahoma City, Okla., page 3:
text: “Open yo’ mout’, boy,” she said, “whe’ yo’ get dis pin?” “Miss Diggs giv’ it to me, mum,” murmured Alfie slowly, afraidly.
ref: 1926, Eric [D.] Walrond, Tropic Death, New York, N.Y.: Boni & Liveright, page 162:
text: Following directions of IPPC, hundreds of country governments try afraidly to tackle pending environmental disaster, pledging lukewarmly to lower down planet global warming by country emission mitigation during the decades following.
ref: 2021, Giovanni Spampinato, Alessandro Malerba, Francesco Calabrò, Carlo Bernardo, Carmelo Musarella, “Cork Oak Forest Spatial Valuation Toward Post Carbon City by CO₂ Sequestration”, in Carmelina Bevilacqua, Francesco Calabrò, Lucia Della Spina, editors, New Metropolitan Perspectives: Knowledge Dynamics and Innovation-driven Policies Towards Urban and Regional Transition (Smart Innovation, Systems and Technologies 178), volume 2, Springer Nature Switzerland AG, section 1 (“Introduction”), page 1321:
text: He could see the fear crawling in his eyes too. Allen raised his arm and pointed at the chandelier. James looked up afraidly.
ref: 2021, Ayush Choudhary, The Blackwood Manor: Where the Legend Comes Alive, Notion Press, →ISBN:
glosses: In an afraid manner.
Related terms: unafraidly