lowly
Americanadjective
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humble in station, condition, or nature.
a lowly cottage.
-
low in growth or position.
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humble in attitude, behavior, or spirit; meek.
- Synonyms:
- unpretentious, simple, modest
adjective
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humble or low in position, rank, status, etc
-
full of humility; meek
-
simple, unpretentious, or plain
adverb
Other Word Forms
- lowlily adverb
- lowliness noun
- unlowly adjective
Etymology
Origin of lowly
A Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; see origin at low 1, -ly
Explanation
Lowly things aren't considered to be important or impressive. Your lowly position on a sports team might make you best suited to carry all of the players' equipment. When a person is described as lowly, the world often refers to their job or social class. A lowly janitor might not get as much respect as the CEO of a huge company, even if she's a kinder person. A lowly member of an AAA baseball team might only dream about joining the major leagues. The adjective lowly has been around since the 14th century, from low, "not high," and also "humble in rank."
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.
For instance, Washington would have been mortified to hear his rigorously trained Virginia Regiment characterized as a lowly militia.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026
About 10% fall to the lowly one-star category.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026
After the Mavericks, they’ll have tough games against Oklahoma City, Golden State and Phoenix before finishing against lowly Utah on April 12.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2026
The rap legend is a lowly third, behind Bruno Mars.
From BBC • Feb. 21, 2026
That meant they wore his pale green livery, carried fancy rifles from Novyi Zem, and never let Joost forget he was a lowly grunt from the city watch.
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
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.
