lightly

adverb

light·​ly ˈlīt-lē 

: in a light manner: such as

a

: with little weight or force : gently

b

: with indifference or carelessness : unconcernedly

the problem should not be passed over lightly

—Shelly Halpern

c

: with little difficulty : easily

d

: gaily, cheerfully

e

: in an agile manner : nimbly, swiftly

the cat leapt lightly onto the table

f

: in a small degree or amount

lightly salted food

Synonyms

• easily
• easy
• effortlessly
• facilely
• fluently
• freely
• handily
• hands down
• painlessly
• readily
• smoothly
• well

Examples of lightly in a Sentence

He talks lightly about the problems he's been having at work.

She moved lightly across the room.

These vegetables can be eaten either raw or lightly cooked.

Our troops were armed too lightly to take on the heavily armed invaders.

Considering the harm he did, he's gotten off lightly with only a warning.

The judge let her off lightly with a short sentence.

Recent Examples on the Web

With that in mind, Garcia cannot take this opponent lightly. —Trent Reinsmith, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025

Full credit to Washington for not taking its opponent lightly, as this one has been a battle so far. —James Mirtle, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025

Her decision to freeze her eggs wasn't made lightly. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Apr. 2025

Pick up a little bit more concealer from the back of your hand and build it up—tap, tap, tap lightly again. —Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 24 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing lightly

• take lightly
• tread lightly

Rhymes for lightly

• brightly
• knightly
• nightly
• rightly
• sightly
• slightly
• sprightly
• tightly
• whitely
• forthrightly
• fortnightly
• politely