lightly

- definition

What are red words?

90% of the time, speakers of English use just 7,500 words in speech and writing. These words appear in red, and are graded with stars. One-star words are frequent, two-star words are more frequent, and three-star words are the most frequent.

Thesaurus

The thesaurus of synonyms and related words is fully integrated into the dictionary entries. Click on the T button in an entry to review the synonyms and related words for that meaning.

adverb

/ˈlaɪtli/

Other entries for this word

Related dictionary definitions

tread carefully/cautiously/lightly etc.

1
without using much force or pressure
Her hands rested lightly on his shoulders.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of lightly
2
in small amounts, or using only a small amount of something
Lightly grease a cookie sheet.
Snow fell lightly on the rooftops.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of lightly
3
in a way that shows you think something is not important or serious
"Was it something I said?" she asked lightly.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of lightly
1. a.
  [usually in negatives] without considering something carefully and seriously
  The decision was not made lightly.
  Our objections should not be dismissed so lightly.
  Thesaurus entry for this meaning of lightly
4
cooked for a short time
a lightly boiled egg
The steaks should be lightly grilled.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of lightly
5
if you sleep lightly, you wake up very easily
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of lightly
6
in a graceful way
She stepped lightly over the boxes.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of lightly

phrase

get off/be let off lightly
to not be harmed or punished as severely as you might have been
She got off lightly, with a fine instead of a prison sentence.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of lightly

This is the American English definition of lightly. View British English definition of lightly.

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to British English.

charticle

a news article that consists of a chart … and only has a small amount of text

BuzzWord Article

More BuzzWords

BuzzWord archive

Word of the Day

proton

the part of the nucleus of an atom that has a positive electrical charge

Word of the Day

Open Dictionary

never event

an event that should never occur in a healthcare setting …

add a word

More submissions

view entries

Blog

A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.

global English and language change from our blog

Did you know?