highly

adverb

high·​ly ˈhī-lē 

1

: in or to a high place, level, or rank

2

: in or to a high degree or amount

3

: with approval : favorably

Synonyms of highly

• extremely
• very
• incredibly
• terribly
• too
• so
• badly
• severely
• really
• damn
• damned
• intensely
• heavily
• seriously
• most

Examples of highly in a Sentence

She is one of the most highly respected journalists in the country.

though she didn't win, she was highly satisfied with her personal results for the marathon

Recent Examples on the Web

This may mean that information on the capabilities and limitations of updates are delivered to all users via YouTube–like tutorials and new, highly effective AI prompts are shared and stored via GitHub-like knowledge repositories. — Emelia S. Probasco, Foreign Affairs, 20 Aug. 2026

And he’s trained by Clint Parks, who has worked with numerous past SDSU players and regularly speaks highly of the program’s developmental capacity. — Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Aug. 2026

From Emmy-winning director Greg Whiteley, Season 4 will follow the 2026-27 Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders team as highly competitive auditions give way to training camp and a full NFL season. — Denise Petski, Deadline, 20 Aug. 2026

Anna Anosowicz’s highly resourceful production design makes excellent use of existing midcentury brutalist architecture and far more ancient, enduring structures, all moldering under superficially futuristic window-dressing. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 20 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing highly

• highly strung
• highly superior autobiographical memory

Rhymes for highly

• dryly
• kiley
• shyly
• slyly
• smiley
• wily
• wryly

Kids Definition

highly

adverb

high·​ly ˈhī-lē 

1

: very entry 2 sense 1, extremely

highly pleased

2

: with approval

speaks highly of you