#thusly

We all know thus is an adverb. It's from the Old English þus, meaning "in this way, as follows, in this manner, to this extent."

You might see a parent hit a child and say "I wouldn't treat a dog thus," meaning you wouldn't treat a dog in the way you just saw that parent treat their child.

Or you might say "I like to describe my sense of humor thus" and follow it with the manner of description you prefer.

You might even say "I am poor; thus I have no medical care," meaning that your lack of medical care follows from (i.e., is a direct result of) your poverty.

"Thus far," we might say, meaning to this extent or point, "things make sense."

Then we encounter thusly.

—

Thusly is a monstrosity. An abomination of idiocy. The -ly ending is clearly meant to turn the word thus into an adjective—but thus is already an adjective!

Here lives stupidity.

My favorite part of the 2018 research article on thus vs thusly that I ran across online was the section where a respondent older than 75 essentially called thusly a stupid word that you use if you want to sound stupid or make fun of stupid people... while a respondent younger than 25 called it an overly formal old word.

Hold onto your hats, everybody. In fifty or so years, the youngsters will be claiming that blorbo is too formal a term to use when describing a fictional character you particularly enjoy.