lightly

English

Alternative forms

• lighty (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English lyghtly, liȝtliche, lihtliche, from Old English lēohtlīċe, equivalent to light +‎ -ly.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈlaɪtli/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪtli

Adverb

lightly (comparative lightlier or more lightly, superlative lightliest or most lightly)

1. In a light manner.

   As a teacher, I don't take rudeness in class lightly.

   • 1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter VIII, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:

     Elbows almost touching they leaned at ease, idly reading the almost obliterated lines engraved there. ¶ "I never understood it," she observed, lightly scornful. "What occult meaning has a sun-dial for the spooney? I'm sure I don't want to read riddles in a strange gentleman's optics."

Derived terms

• get off lightly
• once-over-lightly
• take lightly
• tread lightly

 

Translations

in a light manner

Armenian: թեթևակի (hy) (tʻetʻewaki) Bulgarian: леко (bg) (leko), несериозно (bg) (neseriozno) Catalan: lleugerament (ca) Czech: lehce (cs) Faroese: lættliga Finnish: kevyesti (fi) French: légèrement (fr) German: leicht (de) Italian: alla leggera, superficialmente (it), in maniera superficiale Latin: leviter Polish: lekko (pl) Portuguese: levemente (pt), levianamente Russian: легко́ (ru) (lexkó), слегка́ (ru) (slexká) Sanskrit: लघु (sa) (laghu) Slovak: ľahko Spanish: ligeramente (es)

References

• “lightly”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• “lightly”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.