Reference > Usage > American Heritage® Book of English Usage > 3. Word Choice > § 282. thusly
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The American Heritage® Book of English Usage.
A Practical and Authoritative Guide to Contemporary English.  1996.

3. Word Choice: New Uses, Common Confusion, and Constraints

§ 282. thusly


The adverb thusly was created in the 19th century as an alternative for thus in sentences such as Hold it thus or He put it thus. It appears to have been first used by humorists, who may have been echoing the speech of poorly educated people straining to sound stylish. The word has subsequently gained some currency in educated usage, but it is still often regarded as incorrect. A large majority of the Usage Panel found it unacceptable in an earlier survey. In formal writing, thus can still be used as in the examples above; in other styles, expressions such as this way and like this are more natural.    1


The American Heritage® Book of English Usage. Copyright © 1996 by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
 
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