jointly

Word parts

joint + -ly

Adverb

Positive jointly

Comparative none

Superlative none

1. When two or more people do something jointly, they do it together; they cooperate on it.

   The President told his staff that he liked to make decisions jointly. He liked to get everybody's opinion and decide as a group what was best, instead of just making decisions on his own.

   The teacher told her students: "You may do this project jointly. Please pick one other student who you would like to work with."

2. When two things cause something jointly, both things caused it to happen.

   The police decided that both drivers caused the car accident jointly, because they were both driving too fast and talking on their cell phones.

   Slavery, different ideas about government, and many other things were all jointly responsible for causing the American Civil War.