: 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
Shelly Halpern
c
: with little difficulty : easily
d
: gaily, cheerfully
f
: in a small degree or amount
lightly salted food
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
One customer might use it lightly and pay $500 this month.
—Alvaro Morales, Forbes.com, 13 May 2025
But when a threat appears from which Murderbot has to save his idiot clients, the danger feels real, and the action is staged well, in a way that’s both exciting and also lightly comedic, since Murderbot is a nearly obsolete model that’s often overmatched by its robot or alien opponents.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 13 May 2025
The jet controversy has been very lightly covered on Fox News, the country’s dominant right-wing TV channel.
—Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 12 May 2025
Here is the full transcript of the interview, lightly edited for clarity:
Q: Thank you so much for making the time, mayor.
—Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 11 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for lightly
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Alvaro Morales, Forbes.com, 13 May 2025
But when a threat appears from which Murderbot has to save his idiot clients, the danger feels real, and the action is staged well, in a way that’s both exciting and also lightly comedic, since Murderbot is a nearly obsolete model that’s often overmatched by its robot or alien opponents.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 13 May 2025
The jet controversy has been very lightly covered on Fox News, the country’s dominant right-wing TV channel.
—Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 12 May 2025
Here is the full transcript of the interview, lightly edited for clarity:
Q: Thank you so much for making the time, mayor.
—Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 11 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for lightly
Cite this Entry
“Lightly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lightly. Accessed 24 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share