: 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
Shelly Halpern
c
: with little difficulty : easily
d
: gaily, cheerfully
f
: in a small degree or amount
lightly salted food
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
The conversation has been condensed and lightly edited for clarity.
—Ashley Luthern, jsonline.com, 27 Oct. 2025
After thawing briefly at room temperature, pop cookies into the microwave on a microwave-safe plate, lightly covered with a damp paper towel to keep them from drying out.
—Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 26 Oct. 2025
Take two mint crowns, lightly bruise them with your fingers, and stick them against the inside close to the straw.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 25 Oct. 2025
The National Weather Service said all of the Bay Area except for areas of the South Bay, including San Jose, lightly will get at least some rain.
—Rick Hurd, Mercury News, 25 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lightly
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Ashley Luthern, jsonline.com, 27 Oct. 2025
After thawing briefly at room temperature, pop cookies into the microwave on a microwave-safe plate, lightly covered with a damp paper towel to keep them from drying out.
—Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 26 Oct. 2025
Take two mint crowns, lightly bruise them with your fingers, and stick them against the inside close to the straw.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 25 Oct. 2025
The National Weather Service said all of the Bay Area except for areas of the South Bay, including San Jose, lightly will get at least some rain.
—Rick Hurd, Mercury News, 25 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for lightly
Cite this Entry
“Lightly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lightly. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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