depressingly
UK[dɪˈpresɪŋli]US[dɪˈpresɪŋli]
adv
in a manner that causes feelings of sadness and hopelessness
adv
in a manner that is unpleasantly low in standard or quality
Morpheme Breakdown
de
press
ingly
de
down
press
press
ingly
adverb suffix
Etymology
the word "depressingly" is built upon the core verb "depress", which entered english from old french depresser, itself derived from latin deprimere ("to press down"). the latin term is a compound of de- ("down") and premere ("to press"). the literal sense of pressing down evolved metaphorically to describe lowering in position, weakening activity, and, crucially, lowering one's spirits. the addition of the -ing suffix forms the present participle adjective "depressing", which describes something that has the effect of pressing down on one's mood. finally, the adverbial suffix -ly is appended, creating a word that describes an action performed in a manner that induces sadness or disappointment, completing the journey from physical pressure to emotional description.
Analysis
Structure: de (down) + press (press) + ingly (adverb suffix)
- de: a latin prefix meaning "down, away, off, completely".
- press: from latin premere, "to press". in english, it carries the sense of applying pressure.
- ingly: a modern english adverbial suffix formed from the present participle suffix -ing and the adverbial suffix -ly.
Examples
the weather was depressingly grey and wet for the entire week.
the team's performance has been depressingly consistent in its failure to score.
the report painted a depressingly familiar picture of bureaucratic inefficiency.