lightly

adverb

light·​ly ˈlīt-lē 

: in a light manner: such as

a

: with little weight or force : gently

b

: with indifference or carelessness : unconcernedly

the problem should not be passed over lightly

—Shelly Halpern

c

: with little difficulty : easily

d

: gaily, cheerfully

e

: in an agile manner : nimbly, swiftly

the cat leapt lightly onto the table

f

: in a small degree or amount

lightly salted food

Synonyms

• easily
• easy
• effortlessly
• facilely
• fluently
• freely
• handily
• hands down
• painlessly
• readily
• smoothly
• well

Examples of lightly in a Sentence

He talks lightly about the problems he's been having at work.

She moved lightly across the room.

These vegetables can be eaten either raw or lightly cooked.

Our troops were armed too lightly to take on the heavily armed invaders.

Considering the harm he did, he's gotten off lightly with only a warning.

The judge let her off lightly with a short sentence.

Recent Examples on the Web

Quotations in this piece have been lightly edited for clarity. —Timothy H.j. Nerozzi Fox News, Fox News, 27 June 2024

For those on the front line, this responsibility is not worn lightly. —Max Goldbart, Deadline, 27 June 2024

Moira ran down swiftly and lightly, with a jangle of her heels on the iron, to the bottom, which was still about six feet off the ground, in an open yard at the side of the pub. —Tessa Hadley, The New Yorker, 23 June 2024

The transcript of this conversation has been lightly edited for length and clarity. —Andy Mills, Quartz, 21 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing lightly

• take lightly
• tread lightly