highly

adverb

high·​ly ˈhī-lē 

1

: in or to a high place, level, or rank

2

: in or to a high degree or amount

3

: with approval : favorably

Synonyms of highly

• extremely
• very
• incredibly
• terribly
• too
• so
• badly
• severely
• really
• damn
• damned
• intensely
• heavily
• seriously
• most

Examples of highly in a Sentence

She is one of the most highly respected journalists in the country.

though she didn't win, she was highly satisfied with her personal results for the marathon

Recent Examples on the Web

This type of aggressive behavior is highly unusual. —Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 14 June 2026

In a highly unusual arrangement, the UFC has been handling much of the ticket access to the event, not the White House itself. —Ted Johnson, Deadline, 14 June 2026

That’s in addition to problems like data drift, bias in training data, black swan events, and other things that the panelists touched on in pondering the challenges of instituting these systems in a highly regulated industry. —John Werner, Forbes.com, 14 June 2026

The Kentucky lawmaker has faced mounting scrutiny after falls, a 2023 concussion and two highly public freezing episodes during news conferences, along with long-standing mobility issues from childhood polio. —Los Angeles Times, 14 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing highly

• highly strung
• highly superior autobiographical memory

Rhymes for highly

• dryly
• kiley
• shyly
• slyly
• smiley
• wily
• wryly

Kids Definition

highly

adverb

high·​ly ˈhī-lē 

1

: very entry 2 sense 1, extremely

highly pleased

2

: with approval

speaks highly of you