as in easily
without difficulty
you're not going to get off lightly if they catch you!
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Recent Examples of lightly
Very lightly rake the seed into the soil and water regularly in the absence of rain until the grass is established.
—
Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 May 2025
But don’t think the band, which has been around 35 years, takes mental illness lightly.
—Sal Pizarro, Mercury News, 10 May 2025
The finished bake is a real treat, warm and silky, with tender, custardy bread lightly crisped on the outside, mingling with softened bites of apple and a crunchy, sweet, nutty topping.
—The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2025
Responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.
—Kailyn Brown, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for lightly
Megan Hughes, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 May 2025
But don’t think the band, which has been around 35 years, takes mental illness lightly.
—Sal Pizarro, Mercury News, 10 May 2025
The finished bake is a real treat, warm and silky, with tender, custardy bread lightly crisped on the outside, mingling with softened bites of apple and a crunchy, sweet, nutty topping.
—The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2025
Responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.
—Kailyn Brown, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for lightly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lightly
Adverb
-
With so much noise in our day-to-day lives, even the most important messages can be easily missed, misinterpreted or forgotten.—
Richard Huffman,
Forbes.com,
14 May 2025
-
That's a really great way to add depth and color quickly and easily.—
Eleni N. Gage,
Better Homes & Gardens,
14 May 2025
Adverb
-
Big messages can go down easy — or even slightly disguised — in immersive entertainment.—
Todd Martens,
Los Angeles Times,
6 May 2025
-
Chris Ballard and company can breathe easy, because this likely was a dream scenario for the Colts — arguably, the league’s most tight end-needy team heading into the draft.—
Scott Dochterman,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2025
Adverb
-
The program will be designed to enable young people to work and travel freely in Europe again, but will be capped and time-limited, mirroring existing schemes the U.K. has with countries such as Australia and New Zealand.—
Holly Ellyatt,Silvia Amaro,
CNBC,
19 May 2025
-
Miranda was finally able to receive her new driver’s license after 22 years and is able to travel more freely.—
Kamal Morgan,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
19 May 2025
Adverb
-
Another key benefit is support for data integration efforts by ensuring that disparate data sources are integrated and utilized efficiently, providing the foundation for building reliable data systems and fostering trust in decision making.—
Rajiv Shesh,
Forbes.com,
13 May 2025
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These tools are remarkably skilled at quickly, comprehensively, and efficiently consuming vast amounts of data and regurgitating it within a different context.—
Maria Williams,
USA Today,
13 May 2025
Adverb
-
This stuff is readily available and easy to use now.—
William Jones,
USA Today,
17 May 2025
-
Plants readily self-sow and can also spread by rhizome.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
16 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lightly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lightly. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
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