different between thiefly vs chiefly

English

Etymology

From Middle English thefly; equivalent to thief +? -ly.

Adjective

thiefly (comparative more thiefly, superlative most thiefly)

1. (now rare) Like a thief; thievish.
   • 2002, Milton Finch, Virginia Ward, Hello Again, Already!: A Book for the Spiritually-Minded Christian

     It would be a sad thing to enter this dark time and then to have an eternal reality stolen and lessened in a thiefly sort of way at the door of death through a life that was lived in a less than honorable fashion.

Adverb

thiefly (comparative more thiefly, superlative most thiefly)

1. (obsolete) Like a thief; thievishly.

Anagrams

• heftily

English

Etymology

From Middle English chefly; equivalent to chief +? -ly.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?t?i?f.li/

Adverb

chiefly (comparative more chiefly, superlative most chiefly)

1. (focus) Especially or primarily; above all.
2. (focus) Mainly or principally; almost entirely.

Synonyms

• (above all): first and foremost, particularly; see also Thesaurus:above all
• (almost entirely): by and large, for the most part, largely; see also Thesaurus:mostly

Translations

Adjective

chiefly (comparative chieflier, superlative chiefliest)

1. of or relating to a chief