highly
English
Etymology
From Middle English hiȝly, heȝly, heyȝliche, from Old English hēalīce (“highly”), equivalent to high + -ly. Cognate with Dutch hoogelijk (“highly”), German höchlich (“highly”), Danish højlig (“highly”), Swedish högligen (“highly”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈhaɪli/
Audio (US) (file) - Rhymes: -aɪli
Adverb
highly (comparative highlier or more highly, superlative highliest or most highly)
- In a high or esteemed manner.
- He spoke highly of you.
- Extremely; greatly; very much.
- He is in a highly visible job.
- 2013 May-June, David Van Tassel, Lee DeHaan, “Wild Plants to the Rescue”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3:
- Plant breeding is always a numbers game. […] The wild species we use are rich in genetic variation, and individual plants are highly heterozygous and do not breed true. In addition, we are looking for rare alleles, so the more plants we try, the better.
Usage notes
- The adverb highly and the adverb high should notbe confused.
- This is certainly highly recommended.
- The stars were shining high above us.
collocations with highly
(with verbs):
- praise highly
- rate highly
- value highly
- speak highly (see speak highly)
(with adjectives):
- highly disappointing
- highly paid
- highly encouraging
Derived terms
Translations
in a high or esteemed manner
|
extremely, greatly, awfully
|
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