lightly

adverb

light·​ly ˈlīt-lē 

: 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

• easily
• smoothly
• effortlessly
• easy
• freely
• efficiently
• readily

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

Add a dab of liquid detergent to remaining stains and lightly rub it in. —Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 14 Sep. 2025

This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity. —Don Riddell, CNN Money, 13 Sep. 2025

Its juicy pork filling is supplemented by lightly sweet vermicelli noodles and crunchy carrot shreds. —Sacbee.com, 12 Sep. 2025

In this way, cosmic dust behaves as a very efficient absorber of visible light, is only lightly absorbed by near-infrared light, and is practically perfectly transparent to mid-infrared (and longer) wavelengths of light. —Ethan Siegel, Big Think, 12 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing lightly

• take lightly
• tread lightly

Rhymes for lightly

• brightly
• knightly
• nightly
• rightly
• sightly
• slightly
• sprightly
• tightly
• whitely
• forthrightly
• fortnightly
• politely