LIGHTLY: Synonyms and Related Words. What is Another Word for LIGHTLY?

Need another word that means the same as “lightly”? Find 21 synonyms and 30 related words for “lightly” in this overview.

The synonyms of “Lightly” are: thinly, light, gently, softly, faintly, delicately, sparingly, slightly, sparsely, moderately, easily, leniently, mildly, carelessly, airily, readily, heedlessly, unthinkingly, thoughtlessly, flippantly, breezily

Lightly as an Adverb

Definitions of "Lightly" as an adverb

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “lightly” as an adverb can have the following definitions:

• To a slight degree.
• In a small quantity or extent.
• Without severe punishment; leniently.
• In a way that is not serious or solemn; carelessly.
• Indulging with temperance.
• With indifference or without dejection.
• With few burdens.
• In relatively small amounts or in low density; sparingly.
• Without good reason.
• With little weight or force.
• Gently, delicately or softly.

Synonyms of "Lightly" as an adverb (21 Words)

airily	In a flippant manner. He was airily dismissive of the question.
breezily	In a breezy manner.
carelessly	In a rakish manner. Roadsides are full of litter thrown carelessly by passers by.
delicately	In a delicate manner. That s a sensitive issue that has to be approached delicately.
easily	With ease easy is sometimes used informally for easily. He won easily.
faintly	In a faint manner; indistinctly. His faintly ridiculous air.
flippantly	In a flippant manner. He answered the reporters questions flippantly.
gently	With only gradual inclines. He talked gently to the injured animal.
heedlessly	Without care or concern.
leniently	In a permissively lenient manner. He felt incensed that Tarrant should have been treated so leniently given his crime.
light	With few burdens. Experienced travellers travel light.
mildly	To a slight extent. He had suffered mildly from the illness since he was 23.
moderately	To a moderately sufficient extent or degree. Growth continues moderately.
readily	Without delay or difficulty; easily. He readily admits that the new car surpasses its predecessors.
slightly	In a slim or slender manner. They are all slightly different.
softly	Used as a direction in music to be played relatively softly. He whispered softly in my ear.
sparingly	In a restricted or infrequent manner; in small quantities. The sharply flavoured leaves should be used sparingly.
sparsely	In a sparse manner. A sparsely populated region.
thinly	With few parts or people relative to the area covered or filled; sparsely. Thinly sliced potatoes.
thoughtlessly	Showing thoughtlessness. He stared thoughtlessly at the picture.
unthinkingly	In a thoughtless manner.

Usage Examples of "Lightly" as an adverb

• Some people are let off lightly.
• It is not something that should be taken lightly.
• Apply paint lightly.
• It was snowing lightly.
• She placed her hand lightly on my shoulder.
• She kissed him lightly on the forehead.

Associations of "Lightly" (30 Words)

barely	In a sparse or scanty way. They had barely sat down before forty policemen swarmed in.
bit	The cutting part of a drill usually pointed and threaded and is replaceable in a brace or bitstock or drill press. You could see everything All her bits.
calmly	In a sedate manner. He spoke slowly and calmly.
croon	Hum or sing in a soft, low voice, especially in a sentimental manner. The female vocalist crooned smoky blues into the microphone.
disperse	Denoting a phase dispersed in another phase as in a colloid. The prism disperses light.
dissipation	Breaking up and scattering by dispersion. The dissipation of the country s mineral wealth.
dissolution	The process of going into solution. Minerals susceptible to dissolution.
distributed	(of a computer system) spread over several machines, especially over a network. The figures of syllogisms all have properly distributed middle terms.
flexibility	The quality of being adaptable or variable. I enjoyed the flexibility of the schedule.
gently	With a mild, kind, or tender manner. Gently pat your skin dry.
handed	Having or involving the use of hands. A handed tree living animal.
knead	Make bread or pottery by kneading flour or clay. She kneaded his back.
levity	The treatment of a serious matter with humour or lack of due respect. As an attempt to introduce a note of levity the words were a disastrous flop.
loosely	In a way that is not strict or exact. You shouldn t speak loosely outside the group.
looseness	Movement or space for movement. Misunderstandings can often be traced to a looseness of expression.
meagerly	To a meager degree or in a meager manner. These voices are meagerly represented at the conference.
mild	Humble in spirit or manner suggesting retiring mildness or even cowed submissiveness. Fortunately the pain was mild.
mildly	In a mild or gentle manner. He had suffered mildly from the illness since he was 23.
nibble	Bite off very small pieces. She never eats a full meal she just nibbles.
profligacy	Licentious or dissolute behaviour. The emperor s sexual profligacy.
quietly	With little or no activity or no agitation quiet is a nonstandard variant for quietly. She spoke quietly to the child.
rarely	Not often. We rarely met.
rustle	A light noise, like the noise of silk clothing or leaves blowing in the wind. There was a rustle in the undergrowth behind her.
scarce	Scarcely. Would have scarce arrived before she would have found some excuse to leave.
scatter	The scattering of light other electromagnetic radiation or particles. Scatter the coconut over the icing.
soft	Soft and mild not harsh or stern or severe. I can just speak soft and she ll hear me.
softly	Used as a direction in music to be played relatively softly. John kissed Cynthia softly and tenderly.
sparsely	In a thinly dispersed manner; in small numbers. A sparsely furnished apartment.
tapping	The sound of light blow or knock. Crews heard tapping from deep underground.
whisper	A soft or confidential tone of voice a whispered word or phrase. He didn t show even a whisper of interest.