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; light 2, -ly
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.
India know that their opening opponents, the United States, caused the biggest upset of the 2024 tournament when they beat Pakistan in a super over, and Suryakumar said no team would be taken lightly.
From Barron's
The evening is lightly dappled with personal or informative patter.
She flipped the pie dough she was working on and pressed it lightly with her rolling pin.
From Literature
Brook is an "outstanding" leader on the field and "wears his intelligence lightly"
From BBC
Another correspondent said few people were on the streets inside Qamishli amid a curfew in place until Wednesday morning, with Kurdish security forces also lightly deployed and Kurdish flags and banners raised.
From Barron's
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.
