handily
Americanadverb
-
skillfully; dexterously; expertly.
to manage a boat handily.
-
conveniently.
The books were handily at his side.
-
easily.
We won handily.
-
Midland U.S. rightly; readily.
You can't handily blame him.
adverb
-
in a handy way or manner
-
conveniently or suitably
handily nearby
-
easily
the horse won handily
Etymology
Origin of handily
Explanation
Doing something handily means it's easy or convenient. If the post office is handily located near your house, you can handily mail all your holiday cards on your way to school. This adverb can be used for things that are close at hand, making them easily available, or for anything done gracefully or dexterously: "She handily shuffled the cards and dealt." However, you'll most often find handily filling in for "easily," in sentences like "They handily won the game," or "He handily beat his opponents in the election." The earliest meaning of handily, dating from the 14th century, was "done by hand."
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.
That handily outstrips the rise in regular gas prices, which are higher by about 41% over the same period.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026
Meanwhile, 48% growth in Microsoft’s Azure cloud business propelled its revenue to $92.28 billion, up 19%, for its fiscal first quarter, handily beating Wall Street’s expectations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
GSK beat earnings estimates handily, but suffered soft vaccine sales.
From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026
He lost in Detroit by 28 points; Stevens won the city handily.
From Slate ● Oct. 6, 2026
Then, with sheets hoisted up above their ankles for safety, the children daringly climbed the spiral stairs that led to the observatory, which they located handily, they explained, by following the scent of the sky.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
