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

Diamondback Moth: Small brown caterpillars just 0.5 inches prior to pupation in loosely woven cocoons on the underside of brassica leaves. —Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 14 Aug. 2025

Transfer to a platter and cover loosely with aluminum foil. —Cathy Thomas, Oc Register, 11 Aug. 2025

Farmiga's character, Gladys Russell, appears to be loosely inspired by Consuelo Vanderbilt. —Christopher Rudolph, People.com, 11 Aug. 2025

The whole room was loosely inspired by Yves Saint Laurent’s iconic home on Rue Babylone. —Paola Singer, Architectural Digest, 11 Aug. 2025

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