highly
Americanadverb
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in or to a high degree; extremely.
highly amusing; highly seasoned food.
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with high appreciation or praise; admiringly.
to speak highly of a person.
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more than adequately; generously.
a highly paid consultant.
adverb
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(intensifier)
highly pleased
highly disappointed
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with great approbation or favour
we spoke highly of it
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in a high position
placed highly in class
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at or for a high price or cost
Etymology
Origin of highly
First recorded before 900; Middle English heihliche, Old English hēalīce; equivalent to high + -ly
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
My social feeds are largely filled with enthusiastic folks, but a noticeable amount of posts are highly defensive about the cost, both in terms of finances and attention.
From Salon • Apr. 7, 2026
Schneiderman said it is "highly unlikely that the US will choose to use nuclear weapons against Iran. It is the ultimate Rubicon to cross."
From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026
But drones are a highly dispersed threat, which makes them much harder to target at their source.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026
He has played 91 times for the club since, under four different managers, which underlines how highly rated he is.
From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026
Both sensed that people, and by extension markets, had difficulty attaching the appropriate probabilities to highly improbable events.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.