Word.ws English Dictionary

How to use lightly in a sentence

40 example sentences · adverb

Lightly means in a light manner. Example: “As a teacher, I don't take rudeness in class lightly.”

Examples of lightly by meaning

adverbIn a light manner.

  • As a teacher, I don't take rudeness in class lightly.
  • Elbows almost touching they leaned at ease, idly reading the almost obliterated lines engraved there. ¶ "I never understood it," she observed, lightly scornful.1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter VIII, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC
  • On the other hand, the London Western District escaped comparatively lightly.1958 November, “Storm Damage in the Home Counties”, in Railway Magazine, page 746

More sentences with lightly

  • You got off lightly by not being kept in detention for breaking that window.From the entry get off
  • The captain executed the flare perfectly, and we lightly touched down.From the entry flare
  • My cousin got off lightly with a restraining order after he broke the boy’s leg.From the entry get off lightly
  • The motor was untaxed by the steep hill because the vehicle was so lightly loaded.From the entry untaxed
  • They baked the electrical parts lightly to remove moisture.From the entry bake
  • He's in a bad mood today, so you might want to tread lightly if you talk to him.From the entry tread lightly
  • Lightly furnished rooms and shared bathrooms were found in the outbuildings.2026 August 13, Nicholas Muhoro, “Dutch Medical Student Sophia Koetsier Vanished in Uganda in 2015. An Unknown Man’s DNA Was Later Found…. From the entry accommodation
  • When the fires finally come for Whistler, the evacuation process will be hectic, to put it lightly.2023 August 25, Braden Dupuis, “Opinion: The things we leave behind”, in Pique Newsmagazine, Whistler, B.C.: Glacier Media Inc., →ISSN…. From the entry incumbent
  • Fares would have to increase significantly beyond affordability to cover the costs of lightly used services.2023 March 8, Gareth Dennis, “The Reshaping of things to come...”, in RAIL, number 978, page 47. From the entry affordability
  • Lightly season the cod with salt and pepper and nestle the fish onto the pan.2022, Melissa Clark, Dinner in One, →ISBN, page 37. From the entry season
  • A man of his temperament does not lightly undertake even a companioned isolation in a winter land.2022, Katharine Newlin Burt, The Branding Iron. From the entry companioned
  • She pressed lightly around the outer labia and above the pubic mound, checking for tears or damage.2021, Leone Ross, This One Sky Day, Faber & Faber Limited, page 317. From the entry pubic mound
  • One American M48 was slightly grazed and one American troop lightly wounded.2018 August 8, Donald R. White, Death In a Lonely Place, Lulu.com, →ISBN, page 82. From the entry troop
  • “There is a man who must be chastised,” she says softly, lightly.2018, Nyx Smith, Shadowrun Legends: Striper Assassin, Catalyst Game Labs. From the entry chastise
  • The murders are not being taken lightly by the United States government,” said Coleman.2018 October 26, Didi Martinez and Melanie Kucera, “Kentucky Kroger killings being investigated as possible hate crime, feds say”, in NBC…. From the entry Jeffersontown
  • The Strawberry Kiwitini is lightly rosy, beautifully crisp, and goes down incredibly easy.2018 October 2, Shane Carley, The Martini Field Guide: Martini Culture for the Cocktail Renaissance, illustrated edition, Simon and…. From the entry kiwitini
  • We watched in dread fascination as he skipped lightly down the steps.2017, Thirteen O'Clock Press, The Call / Welcome to the Dance, →ISBN, page 178. From the entry dread fascination
  • Belphegor gave me a nuggy then he lightly slapped me in the face.2017, Wayne Ventura, Schumacher, Lulu.com, →ISBN. From the entry nuggy
  • Spoon the scrambled egg on top of the avocado toasts and dust lightly with the chilli flakes.2016, Heather Thomas, The Avocado Cookbook, Ebury Press, →ISBN, page 19. From the entry avocado toast
  • Although the day was lightly overcast, Gulliver wore a torn large-brimmed straw hat.2015, Maureen Earl, Gulliver Quick: A Novel, →ISBN. From the entry straw hat
  • Grill the dangos until marks appear and then lightly brush the thick sauce over it.2014, Martha Stone, Asian Dumplings at a Glance. From the entry dango
  • Lightly toast the pistachios in a pan (if you use activated pistachios, skip this step).2013, Sarah Wilson, I Quit Sugar Christmas Cookbook, →ISBN, page 24. From the entry cling wrap
  • It danced lightly around his gooch (it really liked that, staying there for a whole ten minutes).2012, James T Medak, My, What Ticklish Feet You Have, The Nazca Plains Corporation, published 2012, →ISBN, page 59. From the entry gooch
  • She raised two fingers to Boogaloo's lips, lightly touched them, shooshed him quiet.2012, Fred Arroyo, “A Case of Consolation”, in Western Avenue and Other Fictions (Camino del Sol), Tucson: University of Arizona Press…. From the entry shoosh
  • Lightly brush edges with reserved egg to help seal the hotpie; crimp edges together with fork.2011, Kate Fiduccia, The Venison Cookbook: Venison Dishes from Fast to Fancy, page 112. From the entry hotpie
  • It states that the fortune cookie is not to be taken lightly.2009, Jon Paul Fiorentino, Stripmalling, ECW Press, →ISBN, page 23. From the entry fortune cookie
  • She works alone at her grill, patting each ample patty lightly as she sets it down.2007, Holly Hughes, Best Food Writing 2007, page 271. From the entry fryolator
  • Lightly toast pitta breads, split and fill each half with three felafels.2006, Helena Jackson, Eating Well with Kidney Failure, page 78. From the entry felafel
  • When cold symptoms are above your neck (like a stuffy, drippy nose), it’s okay to exercise lightly.2006, Pruitt, Andrew L., Andy Pruitt's complete medical guide for cyclists, page 139. From the entry above-the-neck rule
  • He comped lightly and then played a short phrase to begin his solo.2001, Charles Suhor, Jazz in New Orleans: The Postwar Years Through 1970, page 9. From the entry comp
  • It lightly kissed the mistress and stopped a few inches away.2001, Paul Hemenway Altrocchi, Most Greatly Lived. From the entry mistress
  • Test one gnocchi by placing it in a large pot of rapidly boiling lightly salted water.1999, Thomas Keller, The French Laundry Cookbook, Artisan, →ISBN, page 119. From the entry gnocchi
  • Rural Mormons like my friend do not use the "H word" lightly.1999, Chip Ward, Canaries on the Rim: Living Downwind in the West. From the entry HE-double-toothpicks
  • I feed lightly but frequently and keep even moisture and the hibisci never looked better.1999 September 10, David Wlos, “Re: Novice gardener seeking help!”, in rec.gardens (Usenet), message-ID…. From the entry hibisci
  • She didn’t take love lightly, and she wouldn’t give it that way, either.1998, Robin Wells, chapter 11, in Nine-to-Five Bride, Silhouette Books, page 176. From the entry trophy husband
  • It refers to simulated heavy pressure through the use of a broad nib lightly used.1996 03, Chris Morgan, Handwriting Analysis: An Introduction to the Science of Graphology, Book Sales, →ISBN. From the entry pastose
  • As he drew within a swordlength, Cedric turned and padded lightly away.1995, Samantha James, My Lord Conqueror, Avon Books, →ISBN, page 309. From the entry swordlength

Meaning of lightly

  1. adverb In a light manner.

Full definition of lightly

Questions about lightly in a sentence

How do you use lightly in a sentence?
Lightly is used as an adverb. For example: “As a teacher, I don't take rudeness in class lightly.”
What is a short sentence with lightly?
“They baked the electrical parts lightly to remove moisture.”
What does lightly mean?
Lightly means in a light manner.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: lightly (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “How to use lightly in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/lightly. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.