lowly
Americanadjective
-
lowlier,
comparative
-
lowliest
superlative
-
humble in station, condition, or nature.
a lowly cottage.
-
low in growth or position.
-
humble in attitude, behavior, or spirit; meek.
- Synonyms:
- unpretentious, simple, modest
adjective
-
humble or low in position, rank, status, etc
-
full of humility; meek
-
simple, unpretentious, or plain
adverb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
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.
See Examples For:
“I’m just one lowly person that was working there.”
From Salon ● Jun. 12, 2026
The ultraviolent 1991 film was directed by her former husband Renny Harlin and co-starred Samuel L. Jackson as a lowly private investigator.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2026
One lowly bacterium possesses a flagellum—a tiny tail or rotor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026
The rap legend is a lowly third, behind Bruno Mars.
From BBC ● Feb. 21, 2026
The first thing I discovered is that no job, no matter how lowly, is truly “unskilled.”
From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
Ephraim, younger and less weathered, will perform the lowlier chores, like scrubbing the floors and emptying the waste into the waves.
From The New Yorker ● Oct. 18, 2019
Blackburn Rovers triumphed in 1995, but now languish in a lowlier division; most fans, and players, will remain keen on the biggest clubs.
From Economist ● May 2, 2016
The Olympics showed us a different model: superfit, lowlier but disciplined sports people whom I very much doubt were not at it day and night after competing.
From The Guardian ● Apr. 3, 2013
One explanation is that England, wittingly or not, approach their matches against the lowlier sides in a different way.
From The Guardian ● Mar. 12, 2011
One lowlier simple strain of human love be mine.
From The Isle of Palms and Other Poems by John Lyde Wilson
George parlays this job into a major’s rank, but only in the Virginia Militia, not the Royal Army, whose officers continue to treat him like the lowliest private.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
Yet, it’s no spoiler to reveal that during her long weeks and months as an anchorite, Aleys found the means to slowly and secretly teach Marte, lowliest of the Beguines, how to read and write.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 4, 2026
Sarah, not her real name, explained: “There was most definitely a culture of fear across the whole store - from the lowliest of the low, to the most senior person.”
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2024
This colorful, wreath-shaped cake is featured from January 6th until Fat Tuesday in the finest bakeries and the lowliest of supermarkets and just about everywhere in between.
From Salon ● Feb. 13, 2024
He was not accustomed to being called “honored master” by even his lowliest hireling.
From "The Golden Goblet" by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
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.
