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lightly

adverb
light·​ly | \ ˈlÄ«t-lÄ“ How to pronounce lightly (audio) \

Definition of lightly

: 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 & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about lightly

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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.
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Recent Examples on the Web

 Did Rose, who was also a writer, lightly edit her mother’s manuscripts? — Elena Nicolaou, refinery29.com, "Little House, Big Fans: These People Really, Really Love Laura Ingalls Wilder," 24 Aug. 2019 Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin has been extremely pleased with how this lightly raced colt recovered from his first two-turn race. — Bob Clancy, courant.com, "Clancy’s Call: Saratoga," 23 Aug. 2019 Pass lightly — again — over the fact that Obama never said any such thing. — Leonard Pitts Jr - Miami Herald, The Mercury News, "Pitts: The notion that education is the enemy," 22 Aug. 2019 For too long this aspect of the law was enforced rather lightly; now, the Trump administration has stepped up to change that. — Nr Editors, National Review, "The Week," 22 Aug. 2019 Separately in April, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said that an asteroid strike is not something to be taken lightly and is perhaps Earth's biggest threat. — Fox News, "Elon Musk concerned we have 'no defense' against potential killer asteroid," 20 Aug. 2019 The following conversation is lightly condensed and edited for clarity. — Nicole Dieker, Vox, "Money Talks: How a new couple handles their shared finances," 20 Aug. 2019 In a sauté pan filmed with olive oil, sear lemon slices until lightly caramelized. — Dallas News, "Sous vide school: 3 top Dallas chefs teach us how to cook chicken, steak and even octopus," 20 Aug. 2019 That's the scary news, and it shouldn't be dismissed lightly. — Alain Sherter, CBS News, "3 reasons the U.S. economy isn't set to fall off a cliff," 20 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'lightly.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of lightly

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

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More Definitions for lightly

lightly

adverb
How to pronounce lightly (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of lightly

: with little weight or force
: without care or concern : in a way that is not serious
: in a quick and graceful way

See the full definition for lightly in the English Language Learners Dictionary

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More from Merriam-Webster on lightly

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with lightly

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for lightly

Spanish Central: Translation of lightly

Nglish: Translation of lightly for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of lightly for Arabic Speakers

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