lowly

adverb

low·ly | \ˈlō-lē

Definition of lowly

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : in a humble or meek manner

2 : in a low position, manner, or degree

3 : not loudly

lowly

adjective

lowlier; lowliest

Definition of lowly (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : humble in manner or spirit : free from self-assertive pride

2 : not lofty or sublime : prosaic

3 : ranking low in some hierarchy

4 : of or relating to a low social or economic rank

5 : low in the scale of biological or cultural evolution

Other Words from lowly Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about lowly

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Examples of lowly in a Sentence

Adverb

lowly bowing before his king, he accepted his knighthood

Adjective

He was working as a lowly clerk. He resented his lowly status.

Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb

And higher funding costs haven’t been matched by earnings growth for more lowly rated borrowers. — Paul J. Davies, WSJ, "Shorting Loans: A Hedge Against Financial Trouble," 30 Aug. 2018 Wiggins, 31, appeared in court in orange prison scrubs, flip-flops and handcuffs, speaking lowly and showing little emotion. — Washington Post, "Suspect accused of burning deputy’s body after killing him," 8 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Detroit committed five turnovers and fell 48-17 to the lowly New York Jets at home (despite finishing with just 10 fewer total yards). — Mike Vorel, The Seattle Times, "Five things to know about the Seahawks’ next opponent, the Detroit Lions," 23 Oct. 2018 But Martha is black (and female), which limits her own undercover identity options to that of a lowly maid in the school, scrubbing floors despite her medical degree. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "New Doctor Who trailer shows first female Doctor is still the boss," 20 Sep. 2018 Second, there are more lowly rated borrowers than ever: Today almost two-thirds of leveraged loan issuers are rated B2 or lower by Moody’s, or single-B in other agencies’ scales. — Paul J. Davies, WSJ, "Shorting Loans: A Hedge Against Financial Trouble," 30 Aug. 2018 The 6ft 2in full-back played a starring role in lowly Bologna's Serie A campaign - registering 35 appearances in all competitions for the Rossoblu. — SI.com, "Watford Close in on First Summer Transfer for £8.75m Bologna Left-Back Adam Masina," 3 June 2018 After the first season in charge Wolves sat in a lowly fifteenth place. — SI.com, "How Jeff Shi and Fosun International Transformed Wolverhampton Wanderers Into a Premier League Side," 12 July 2018 Survival was only mathematically secured last weekend and West Ham remain in lowly 15th place. — Kieran Canning, chicagotribune.com, "Manchester United secure second place with draw at West Ham," 10 May 2018 Despite sinking into a 5–11 stretch in early May, Arizona held an 8.5-game lead over the Dodgers, who had just completed a 1–6 stretch against the lowly Reds and Marlins. — Tom Verducci, SI.com, "Nine Innings: How Bryce Harper Is Trying to Revive His Season, What We Learned in the First Half and More," 9 July 2018 In their last four losses (at streaking Columbus, plus home losses to lowly Ottawa and Edmonton and an overtime loss at Tampa Bay), Florida allowed a goal in the first two minutes of a period. — Matthew Defranks, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Five-minute stretch buries Panthers in Columbus, costs them chance to climb," 23 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'lowly.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.