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These words won't be appropriate.

Hit me _______.

What should I write as opposite of softly here?

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  • 1
    "Hard" is the opposite of the "very little force" sense of "soft".
    – Watercleave
    Commented Jul 6, 2015 at 11:21
  • 1
    You may want to look at antonyms of gently instead of softly.
    – ColleenV
    Commented Mar 2, 2016 at 17:13

3 Answers 3

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Hit me hard

seems to be the best option. It's opposite to 'softly' or 'gentle tap'.

Jasper gives us a very good point. 'hard' is different from 'hardly' so one should not get confused that opposite to 'softly' is 'hardly'. 'Hardly' means barely.

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    In this context, "hard" is correct. In this context, "hardly" is incorrect -- "Hardly hit me" would mean "Barely hit me at all".
    – Jasper
    Commented Jul 7, 2015 at 2:25
  • ah, that's a good point! @Jasper
    – Maulik V
    Commented Jul 7, 2015 at 4:20
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While "hit me hard" is perfectly acceptable, if you wish to emphasize that this is a challenge, you might try "Hit me with your best shot."

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  • But will 'softly', in this case, mean 'halfheartedly', or 'leniently'? It doesn't fit.
    – cst1992
    Commented Dec 21, 2015 at 9:52
  • There's a song called... :)
    – rogerdpack
    Commented Mar 1, 2018 at 16:01
0

You could also try "forcefully" implying with a great deal of energy or perhaps "powerfully"?

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