lightly

[lahyt-lee]

adverb

1. with little weight, force, intensity, etc.; gently.

   to press lightly on a door bell.

2. to only a small amount or degree; slightly.

   lightly fried eggs.

3. nimbly; quickly.

   to leap lightly aside.

4. with a lack of concern; indifferently; slightly.

   to think lightly of one's achievements.

5. cheerfully; without complaining.

   to take bad news lightly.

6. without due consideration or reason (often used negatively).

   an offer not to be refused lightly.

7. without trouble or effort; easily.

   Lightly come, lightly go.

8. frivolously; flippantly.

   to behave lightly.

9. airily; buoyantly.

   flags floating lightly.

Word History and Origins

Origin of lightly¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English lightli, Old English lēohtlīce; light ², -ly

Idioms and Phrases

see get off (lightly); once over lightly.

Example Sentences

“This decision did not come lightly,” both Zendejas and the city said in statements.

From Los Angeles Times

At the start, music is mournful but not quite sorrowful, a lightly contemplative jazz-inspired feel anchored by a steel hang drum.

From Los Angeles Times

"This was not a decision I have taken lightly, especially as we have recently seen strong trading figures," she said in a statement.

From BBC

The man, Douglas Montgomery, 78, was lightly dressed for the conditions in the high Sierra and, more curiously, was carrying no water.

From Los Angeles Times

But a year after ruling that Google was "a monopolist," Judge Amit Mehta proposed a series of remedies that some - though not everyone - view as letting Google off lightly.

From BBC

Related Words

• casually 
• delicately 
• easily 
• faintly www.thesaurus.com
• freely 
• gingerly 
• mildly 
• moderately 
• quietly 
• simply 
• slightly 
• softly 
• sparsely 
• subtly 
• tenderly 
• thinly www.thesaurus.com