highly
Americanadverb
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in or to a high degree; extremely.
highly amusing; highly seasoned food.
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with high appreciation or praise; admiringly.
to speak highly of a person.
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more than adequately; generously.
a highly paid consultant.
adverb
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(intensifier)
highly pleased
highly disappointed
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with great approbation or favour
we spoke highly of it
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in a high position
placed highly in class
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at or for a high price or cost
Etymology
Origin of highly
First recorded before 900; Middle English heihliche, Old English hēalīce; equivalent to high + -ly
Explanation
Highly means to a high degree, extremely. A highly dangerous substance is one to stay far away from. If you think very highly of yourself, you give yourself the thumbs up every time you walk by a mirror. Highly comes from the Old English word healice for basically, "honorably," but has also come to mean “very very.” A highly respected writer is one people look up to. A highly regarded politician will probably win an election. Highly also refers to anything that is intense or extreme. A highly flammable chemical can burst into flames easily. The -ly ending is highly common for an adverb.
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.
The airline said the flights were performed with the "approved and rehearsed safety altitude and speed limits for the flypast" and were conducted by a "highly experienced crew".
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
Around 100 wells are located in Uganda's largest and oldest national park, Murchison Falls, and there are fears of leaks from the pipeline that crosses fragile and highly biodiverse ecosystems and wildlife migration routes.
From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026
Nvidia’s Huang, speaking at Tuesday’s conference, said he believes in both open and closed models, but domains like cybersecurity require the customizability of an open model to make the AI highly specialized.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
Since you highly value friendship and creativity, what was it like to style your best friend’s wedding, when your best friend also happens to be an icon?
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026
“The social worker said it was highly unusual, the way the name was entered in your file. ”
From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
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.
