■ noun Grammar an adverb that expresses an attitude to the content of the sentence in which it occurs or places the sentence in a particular context.
Usage
Some traditionalists hold that the use of ~s (as in sadly, he is rather overbearing ) is inherently suspect and that they should always be paraphrased (e.g. it is sad that he is rather overbearing ). However, there is overwhelming evidence that such usages are well established and widely accepted in everyday speech and writing. See also usage at hopefully and thankfully .