: 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
Synonyms
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
Bam Adebayo lightly pushed Jayson Tatum on a three and was called for a flagrant foul.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 30 Apr. 2024
Read More: How Far Trump Would Go Below is a transcript, lightly edited for clarity, of the interviews between Trump and TIME National Politics Reporter Eric Cortellessa.
—Time Staff, TIME, 30 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for lightly 
Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 30 Apr. 2024
Read More: How Far Trump Would Go Below is a transcript, lightly edited for clarity, of the interviews between Trump and TIME National Politics Reporter Eric Cortellessa.
—Time Staff, TIME, 30 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for lightly
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lightly.' 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 lightly
Cite this Entry
“Lightly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lightly. Accessed 3 May. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share