lightly
Americanadverb
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with little weight, force, intensity, etc.; gently.
to press lightly on a door bell.
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to only a small amount or degree; slightly.
lightly fried eggs.
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to leap lightly aside.
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with a lack of concern; indifferently; slightly.
to think lightly of one's achievements.
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cheerfully; without complaining.
to take bad news lightly.
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without due consideration or reason (often used negatively).
an offer not to be refused lightly.
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without trouble or effort; easily.
Lightly come, lightly go.
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frivolously; flippantly.
to behave lightly.
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airily; buoyantly.
flags floating lightly.
Etymology
Origin of lightly
First recorded before 900; Middle English lightli, Old English lēohtlīce; see light 2, -ly
Vocabulary lists containing lightly
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Questioning such an established concept was not something the researchers initially approached lightly.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026
If Garcia has taken this lightly in any way he will lose, but he's in great shape and is saying the right things in the build-up.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
The spot price of U3O8, a lightly processed concentrate known as yellowcake that is used to make fuel for nuclear reactors, is at its highest since early February, according to market-data firm UxC.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
From the comedians’ own unravelings, failure to evolve to the audiences’ bad-faith misreadings, or sheer disinterest, to say there’s a disconnect between the two groups is to put it lightly.
From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026
They tinkled lightly and I could feel them twirling around each other, humming against my cheek.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
