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adverbial

American  
[ad-vur-bee-uhl] / ædˈvɜr bi əl /

adjective

  1. of, relating to, or used as an adverb.


noun

  1. a word or phrase functioning as an adverb.

adverbial British  
/ ædˈvɜːbɪəl /

noun

  1. a word or group of words playing the grammatical role of an adverb, such as in the rain in the sentence I'm singing in the rain

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

  1. of or relating to an adverb or adverbial

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • adverbially adverb
  • nonadverbial adjective
  • nonadverbially adverb

Etymology

Origin of adverbial

First recorded in 1605–15; from Latin adverbi(um) adverb + -al 1; compare Late Latin adverbiālis

Vocabulary lists containing adverbial

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"Interestingly, low scoring essays showed the highest level of complexity in finite adverbial dependent clauses," the linguist writes in her paper.

From Science Daily • Jun. 18, 2024

His plan, as “detailed,” is an adverbial clause.

From Slate • Aug. 23, 2016

In “The shorter the better,” the the is actually a holdover from an old adverbial form meaning “in that” or “by that” that we also see in “none the less” and “so much the better.”

From Salon • Apr. 18, 2013

An adverbial modifier that shades the meaning of a statement.

From The Guardian • Jul. 16, 2012

According as is an adverbial phrase, of which the propriety has been doubted; but good usage sanctions it.

From Webster's Unabridged Dictionary by Webster, Noah