highly
Americanadverb
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in or to a high degree; extremely.
highly amusing; highly seasoned food.
-
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
-
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.
Anthropic reports a $567 million operating loss in the third quarter ahead of its highly anticipated initial public offering.
From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026
A few days before the ceremony to mark 40 days since Sevda died - highly significant in Iranian culture - she says she was summoned by a local branch of the Ministry of Intelligence.
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026
Xi pushed the navy to have great ambitions of becoming a highly capable force.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
This is a highly complicated measure that involves jail financing and seeks to clean up some bureaucratic muddles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026
She was the granddaughter of a provincial governor and the daughter of a highly respected attorney and judge.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
