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lightly

   Also found in: Medical, Legal, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.02 sec.
light·ly  (ltl)
adv.
1. With little weight or force; gently.
2. To a slight extent or amount: apply paint lightly.
3.
a. With little difficulty; easily.
b. With agility and grace; nimbly.
4.
a. In a carefree manner; cheerfully: took the news lightly.
b. Without sufficient care or consideration; indifferently: treated the situation much too lightly.
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Adv.1.lightly - without good reason; "one cannot say such things lightly"
2.lightly - with few burdens; "experienced travellers travel light"
3.lightly - with little weight or force; "she kissed him lightly on the forehead"
4.lightly - indulging with temperance; "we eat lightly in the morning"
intemperately, hard, heavily - indulging excessively; "he drank heavily"
5.lightly - with indifference or without dejection; "he took it lightly"
6.lightly - in a small quantity or extent; "spread the margarine thinly over the meat"; "apply paint lightly"
7.lightly - to a slight degree; "her speech is only lightly accented"

lightly
adverb
1. moderately, thinly, slightly, sparsely, sparingly a small and lightly armed UN contingent
moderately heavily, thickly, abundantly
2. gently, softly, slightly, faintly, delicately, gingerly, airily, timidly He kissed her lightly on the mouth.
gently firmly, heavily, forcefully
3. carelessly, indifferently, breezily, thoughtlessly, flippantly, frivolously, heedlessly, slightingly 'Once a detective always a detective,' he said lightly.
carelessly seriously, carefully, earnestly, ponderously
4. easily, simply, readily, effortlessly, unthinkingly, without thought, flippantly, heedlessly His allegations cannot be dismissed lightly.
easily awkwardly, with difficulty, arduously
Translations
lightly [ˈlaɪtlɪ] ADV
1. (= gently, softly) [touch, knock] → suavemente; [tread, walk] → con paso ligero
she kissed him lightly on the foreheadle dio un beso con suavidad en la frente
brush lightly with beaten eggextienda una ligera capa de huevo batido
2. (= slightly) → levemente, ligeramente
lightly cladligero de ropa, con muy poca ropa
season lightly with salt and peppersazone con un poquito de sal y pimienta
a lightly boiled eggun huevo poco cocido, un huevo pasado por agua
to touch lightly on a mattermencionar un asunto de paso
3. (= frivolously) → a la ligera
this is not a charge to be made lightlyeste tipo de acusación no se hace a la ligera
to get off lightlylibrarse de una buena
to speak lightly of dangerdespreciar el peligro
lightly [ˈlaɪtli] adv
(= gently) [handle, knead] → légèrement; [kiss, touch] → légèrement; [doze] → légèrement
(= unthinkingly) [speak] → à la légère, légèrement; [dismiss] → d'un revers de main
His allegations cannot be lightly dismissed → On ne peut pas écarter ses allégations d'un revers de main.
lightly cooked → cuit à cœur
lightly cooked vegetables → des légumes cuits à cœur
lightly browned → légèrement doré
to get off lightly → s'en tirer à bon compte
light meter nphotomètre m, cellule f
lightly
adv
touch, rain, eat, wounded, armed, stressedleicht; walk, treadleise; to sleep lightlyeinen leichten Schlaf haben; lightly clad (in something)leicht (mit etw) bekleidet; they are lightly taxedsie haben niedrige Steuern; to get off lightlyglimpflich davonkommen; to touch lightly on a subjectein Thema nur berühren or streifen
(= casually) sayleichthin; to speak lightly of somebody/somethingsich abfällig or geringschätzig über jdn/etw äußern; he spoke lightly of his illnesser nahm seine Krankheit auf die leichte Schulter; don’t take her problems so lightlynimm ihre Probleme etwas ernster; to treat something too lightlyetw nicht ernst genug nehmen; she referred lightly to the fact that …sie erwähnte leichthin, dass …; a responsibility not to be lightly undertakeneine Verantwortung, die man nicht unüberlegt auf sich nehmen sollte; it’s not a job I’d lightly do againdie Arbeit würde ich so leicht nicht wieder tun
lightly [ˈlaɪtlɪ] advleggermente
to fry sth lightly (Culin) → far soffriggere qc
to sleep lightly → avere il sonno leggero
to get off lightly → cavarsela a buon mercato
lightly [ˈlaɪtlɪ] advleggermente
to fry sth lightly (Culin) → far soffriggere qc
to sleep lightly → avere il sonno leggero
to get off lightly → cavarsela a buon mercato


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? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
"One that cannot be lightly denied," said the Tatterdemalion.
Trent was taken to see his room, the boy talking all the time, and later on dinner was served and the boy did the honours, chaffing and talking lightly.
But Whiskey Dick, guiltily attributing the movement to his own indiscreet gesture, said, "Excuse me, miss," recovered himself by lightly dusting her shoulder with his handkerchief, as if to remove the impression, and her smile returned.
 
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