What does corrigibly mean?
Corrigibly is a rare formal adverb meaning “in a manner that permits correction or amendment.” It derives from corrigible, an adjective for a mistake, claim, text, or condition that can be set right. The adverb is used when the possibility of repair is itself relevant: a sentence may be corrigibly rewritten, or a defect may be corrigibly remedied. Because the word is uncommon and strongly Latinate, it often sounds more traditional or technical than ordinary alternatives such as “correctably” or “amendably.” Its importance is grammatical rather than social: it names the manner in which correction can occur while preserving the idea that the original feature is defective but not beyond repair. In careful prose, corrigibly should not be confused with correctly, which describes accuracy rather than correctability. The word is chiefly encountered in formal, literary, legal, or editorial contexts, though its meaning is fully standard English and carries no special regional restriction.
adverbIn a manner that permits correction or amendment; in a way that can be set right.
- In a manner that allows correction or amendment.
"The errors were corrigibly remedied without altering the author's argument."
"The errors were corrigibly remedied without altering the author's argument."
"The procedural irregularity was corrigibly remedied before the hearing continued."
A mistake may be wrong, but corrigible—and, in the appropriate formal style, corrigibly correctable.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does corrigibly come from?
Corrigibly comes through French from Latin corrigibilis, meaning “able to be corrected” or “correctable.” The Latin adjective was formed from corrigere, “to correct, straighten, or set right,” with corrigibilis expressing the capacity to be corrected. English later added the adverbial suffix -ly to the related adjective corrigible, producing corrigibly.
Related word forms
How corrigibly is actually used
Rare, formal, and literary. It is the adverb corresponding to corrigible and is not a synonym of correctly: its central sense concerns the possibility of repair rather than accuracy.
Easily confused with corrigibly
Correctly means in an accurate or proper manner, whereas corrigibly means in a manner that allows something defective to be corrected.