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

Also highly active in the commercial space, Gelb has directed short- and long-form campaigns for Apple, Google, Starbucks, Chipotle, Chase, Bank of America, United, Burger King, Intel, Mazda, and Ford. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 24 Sep. 2026

But the highly competitive pricing figures to be worth the wait for current VR headset users and folks who've been intrigued by the Vision Pro but have held off due to the aforementioned drawbacks. — Zev Fima, CNBC, 24 Sep. 2026

At the same time, legitimate marketers still sell highly specific lists based on things like sweepstakes responses and interest in business opportunities. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2026

Separating the isotopes presents another challenge as the extremely small amounts must be recovered from solutions that can still contain micrograms of highly radioactive Cf-252. — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 24 Sep. 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