lowlier; lowliest
1
: not lofty or grand : commonplace, ordinary
Paella, once the lowly meal of farmers … has indeed evolved into a very sumptuous one-dish meal …—
Georgina R. Encanto
Georgina R. EncantoIt's easy to overlook the lowly alphabet book.—Ivan Kreilkamp
Ivan Kreilkamp2
: low in order of importance, value, or esteem
a lowly task
… the game didn't match even the lowly expectations placed on it.—Matthew DeFranks
Matthew DeFranksI'm not talking about the mouthwatering and universally appreciated king or Spanish mackerel but their lowly cousin, the commonly derided Atlantic mackerel …—W. Hodding Carter
W. Hodding Carter3
: having or being a low rank in some hierarchy
a lowly private in the army
their lowly ranking in the tournament
often, specifically
: of or relating to a low social or economic rank
lowly peasants
"Now there's a highborn name for a lowly lad," the woman said. —Avi
Avi 4
: low in a scale of evolution or development
Consider the lowly roundworm. By manipulating the genes of a species of nematode, Thomas Johnson of the University of Colorado has already doubled its puny 30-day life span.—Richard I. Kirkland Jr.
Richard I. Kirkland Jr.5
: humble in manner or spirit : free from self-assertive pride
Is it compatible with a self-denying, meek, and lowly heart?—The New Englander (New Haven, Connecticut)
The New Englander (New Haven, Connecticut)
lowliness
noun
Although the institution had many notable patrons such as Dickens the foundlings were constantly reminded of their lowliness.
—Ciara Dossett
Ciara Dossett
1
: not loudly
Dr. Park began to speak lowly, and in Korean, at Sally and Eunice.—Gary Shteyngart
Gary Shteyngart2
: in a humble or meek manner
bowed lowly
3
: in a low position, manner, or degree
lowly rated products
… the great elephant makes us a bow in the best style of elephantine courtesy, bending lowly down his mountain bulk …—Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel HawthorneSynonyms
Examples of lowly in a Sentence
Adjective
He was working as a lowly clerk.
He resented his lowly status.
Adverb
lowly bowing before his king, he accepted his knighthood
Recent Examples on the WebLouisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2024
Just 37 percent of Virginians approved of Biden’s performance, with a lowly 16 percent approving of Congress.
—Paul Kane, Washington Post, 13 Apr. 2024
The Royals didn’t get credit for a quality start because Singer didn’t go six innings, but the ERA among starters remains a lowly 1.96.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 11 Apr. 2024
Elsewhere on the surface level, Maximus (Aaron Moten) is finding his way as a lowly soldier in the Brotherhood of the Steel – an Army-type organization committed to bettering the wasteland by collecting and preserving technology.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 10 Apr. 2024
The sauce is used on everything from fries to pizza, but its real raison d’être is to transform the lowly chicken wing into an unforgettable bite.
—Jolene Thym, The Mercury News, 2 Apr. 2024
Brown and Monk address verbal dust up There was a moment late in Thursday’s loss to the lowly Wizards in which Brown and Monk appeared to be at odds, which has been a somewhat regular occurrence throughout the season.
—Chris Biderman, Sacramento Bee, 24 Mar. 2024
But for the Warriors, every game has playoff implications — even against the lowly Hornets.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 30 Mar. 2024
For all that, his Arthur remains a lowly outsider, with a downcast gaze, a peevish temper, and a deep well of melancholy that never feels one-note.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2024
Manuel Veth, Forbes, 30 Mar. 2024
But those two modes ran laps around the lowly yellow bus.
—Andrew Van Dam, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024
William Day was a lowly young fourth lieutenant when the deaths of his superior officers gave him command of a ship stranded in the Arctic ice.
—Alida Becker, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2024
Stevens’ heroics snapped a two-game CSU losing streak and, more importantly, spared the locals watching a second straight overtime defeat to lowly AFA — NCAA NET ranking as of Tuesday morning: 239th in the country — on Plum Street.
—Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 16 Jan. 2024
Outside, plant the two-foot-tall perennial near the border’s front in well-draining, lowly fertile soil.
—Karen Hugg, Washington Post, 12 Feb. 2024
Swap out your regular light bulbs for a lower wattage, install a dimmer or a wall sconce that is intentionally lowly lit.
—Rachel Silva, ELLE Decor, 21 July 2023
The Giants offense has been pretty lowly lately, but that hasn't stopped San Francisco from rattling off a bunch of wins to remain afloat in the playoff race.
—Jr Radcliffe, Journal Sentinel, 17 July 2023
In Bihar, that means a government job, no matter how lowly.
—Hari Kumar Atul Loke, New York Times, 28 June 2023
Adjective
Last year, the Heat barely made the playoffs; Miami was almost eliminated during the play-in tournament by the lowly Chicago Bulls.
—Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2024
Just 37 percent of Virginians approved of Biden’s performance, with a lowly 16 percent approving of Congress.
—Paul Kane, Washington Post, 13 Apr. 2024
The Royals didn’t get credit for a quality start because Singer didn’t go six innings, but the ERA among starters remains a lowly 1.96.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 11 Apr. 2024
Elsewhere on the surface level, Maximus (Aaron Moten) is finding his way as a lowly soldier in the Brotherhood of the Steel – an Army-type organization committed to bettering the wasteland by collecting and preserving technology.
—Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 10 Apr. 2024
The sauce is used on everything from fries to pizza, but its real raison d’être is to transform the lowly chicken wing into an unforgettable bite.
—Jolene Thym, The Mercury News, 2 Apr. 2024
Brown and Monk address verbal dust up There was a moment late in Thursday’s loss to the lowly Wizards in which Brown and Monk appeared to be at odds, which has been a somewhat regular occurrence throughout the season.
—Chris Biderman, Sacramento Bee, 24 Mar. 2024
But for the Warriors, every game has playoff implications — even against the lowly Hornets.
—Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 30 Mar. 2024
For all that, his Arthur remains a lowly outsider, with a downcast gaze, a peevish temper, and a deep well of melancholy that never feels one-note.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2024
Adverb
The club also gifted Bayern the title on two occasions, most famously last season, when the Black and Yellows threw away the title by failing to beat lowly Mainz.
—Manuel Veth, Forbes, 30 Mar. 2024
But those two modes ran laps around the lowly yellow bus.
—Andrew Van Dam, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024
William Day was a lowly young fourth lieutenant when the deaths of his superior officers gave him command of a ship stranded in the Arctic ice.
—Alida Becker, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2024
Stevens’ heroics snapped a two-game CSU losing streak and, more importantly, spared the locals watching a second straight overtime defeat to lowly AFA — NCAA NET ranking as of Tuesday morning: 239th in the country — on Plum Street.
—Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 16 Jan. 2024
Outside, plant the two-foot-tall perennial near the border’s front in well-draining, lowly fertile soil.
—Karen Hugg, Washington Post, 12 Feb. 2024
Swap out your regular light bulbs for a lower wattage, install a dimmer or a wall sconce that is intentionally lowly lit.
—Rachel Silva, ELLE Decor, 21 July 2023
The Giants offense has been pretty lowly lately, but that hasn't stopped San Francisco from rattling off a bunch of wins to remain afloat in the playoff race.
—Jr Radcliffe, Journal Sentinel, 17 July 2023
In Bihar, that means a government job, no matter how lowly.
—Hari Kumar Atul Loke, New York Times, 28 June 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lowly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near lowly
Cite this Entry
“Lowly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lowly. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
lowly
1 of 2 adverb
low·ly
ˈlō-lē 
1
: in a humble or meek manner
2
: in a low position, manner, or degree
3
: not loudly
lowly
2 of 2 adjective
lowlier; lowliest
2
: of low rank or position
lowliness
noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share