loosely

adverb

loose·​ly ˈlüs-lē 

: in a loose manner

loosely attached

a collection of loosely connected stories

His shoes are set tidily together in a corner with his socks draped loosely across them.

—Felix Carroll

Texting freed a generation from the strictures and inconvenience (and awkwardness) of phone calls, while allowing people to be more loosely and constantly connected.

—Jenna Wortham

The novel is loosely based on the life of Georgia O'Keeffe.

Loosely translated from Japanese, umami means delicious or yummy.

—N. Seppa

Examples of loosely in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Kiton A far cry from its prep-school cousins, Kiton’s take on the traditional cable knit blows up the proportions with more loosely entwined cords, making a statement with negative space—and a gutsy chartreuse color. — Jon Roth, Robb Report, 5 Sep. 2026

As many people, including Clooney, noted, Wednesday night’s opening ceremony was essentially autofiction in reverse — a film that had been loosely inspired by Clooney’s life was now influencing events in his actual life. — Nate Jones, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2026

It was loosely inspired by writer Khalid Mukhtaar Bade’s own life. — Mahbub Abdillahi, Christian Science Monitor, 3 Sep. 2026

The moment was loosely evocative of Clooney’s recent performance in Jay Kelly, a comedy-drama about the personal travails of a Clooney-esque movie star that culminates with the character receiving a lifetime honor at a swanky Italian film festival. — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing loosely

• broadly/loosely define
• loosely base on

Rhymes for loosely

• diffusely
• obtusely
• profusely