- gently; with very little force or effort
- He kissed her lightly on the cheek.
- She ran lightly up the stairs.
- to a small degree; not much
- It began to snow lightly.
- She tended to sleep lightly nowadays (= it was easy to disturb her).
- I try to eat lightly (= not to eat heavy or greasy food).
- in a way that sounds as though you are not particularly worried or interested synonym nonchalantly
- ‘I'll be all right,’ he said lightly.
- without being seriously considered
- This is not a problem we should take lightly.
- Such fears should not be dismissed lightly.
Idioms
See lightly in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee lightly in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishget off/be let off lightly
- (informal) to be punished or treated in a way that is less severe than you deserve or may have expected
- He got off lightly with a small fine.
- The children were let off lightly.
Check pronunciation:
lightly