sternly
UK /ˈstɜːnli/ · US /ˈstɝnli/ adverb
Forms sternlier sternliest
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English sternly, sternely, sterneliche, sturnely, sturneliche, from Old English stirnlīċe, styrnlīċe, stiernlīċe (“harshly; severely; sternly”), equivalent to stern + -ly.
Webster’s 1913
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “sternly”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details