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

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

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 Turn the lowly mailroom into a luxury amenity that doubles as a place for residents to mingle. — Gerard Baker, WSJ, "The 10-Point.," 8 June 2018 The government shutdown in November 1995 cleared the White House of everyone except senior leaders and lowly interns, and that left Clinton unchaperoned. — Neil Swidey, BostonGlobe.com, "How Democrats would be better off if Bill Clinton had never been president," 10 July 2018 Baseball is the National League’s winningest team a week ago getting swept by the lowly Reds in Cincinnati in a four-game series for the first time in 35 years. — David Haugh, chicagotribune.com, "Cubs' rough weekend in Cincinnati should be viewed as a blip, not a red flag," 25 June 2018 In what seemed to be a routine league encounter, Arsenal had romped to a 4-0 lead over lowly Newcastle after just 26 minutes, but complacency crept in. — SI.com, "6 Teams That Had Victory Snatched From Them at the Death," 18 June 2018 The Red Raiders got back into the postseason last fall, albeit as the eighth-place finisher in the Big 12 and on the back of wins against lowly Baylor and Kansas. — Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY, "Ten college football coaches on the hot seat entering this season," 6 July 2018 But one piece of gear has remained largely unchanged for decades: the lowly water cooler. — Ariella Gintzler, Outside Online, "Yeti's Silo 6G Reinvents the Water Cooler," 5 July 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.