LOOSELY

loosely

(adverb) structurally open and not compact or close; “loosely knit”; “loosely woven cloth”; “loosely structured organization”

loosely, slackly

(adverb) in a relaxed manner; not rigid; “his hands lay loosely”

broadly, loosely, broadly speaking, generally

(adverb) without regard to specific details or exceptions; “he interprets the law broadly”

loosely

(adverb) in a loose manner; “a union of loosely federated states”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Adverb

loosely (comparative more loosely, superlative most loosely)

In a loose manner.

Not tightly.

Approximately.

Synonym: Thesaurus:approximately

Used to indicate an imprecise use of words; short for loosely speaking

Antonyms

• (not tightly): tightly

Anagrams

• oleoyls

Source: Wiktionary


Loose"ly, adv.

Definition: In a loose manner.

LOOSE

Loose, a. [Compar. Looser; superl. Loosest.] Etym: [OE. loos, lous, laus, Icel. lauss; akin to OD. loos, D. los, AS. leás false, deceitful, G. los, loose, Dan. & Sw. lös, Goth. laus, and E. lose. Lose, and cf. Leasing falsehood.]

1. Unbound; untied; unsewed; not attached, fastened, fixed, or confined; as, the loose sheets of a book. Her hair, nor loose, nor tied in formal plat. Shak.

2. Free from constraint or obligation; not bound by duty, habit, etc. ; -- with from or of. Now I stand Loose of my vow; but who knows Cato's thoughts Addison.

3. Not tight or close; as, a loose garment.

4. Not dense, close, compact, or crowded; as, a cloth of loose texture. With horse and chariots ranked in loose array. Milton.

5. Not precise or exact; vague; indeterminate; as, a loose style, or way of reasoning. The comparison employed . . . must be considered rather as a loose analogy than as an exact scientific explanation. Whewel.

6. Not strict in matters of morality; not rigid according to some standard of right. The loose morality which he had learned. Sir W. Scott.

7. Unconnected; rambling. Vario spends whole mornings in running over loose and unconnected pages. I. Watts.

8. Lax; not costive; having lax bowels. Locke.

9. Dissolute; unchaste; as, a loose man or woman. Loose ladies in delight. Spenser.

10. Containing or consisting of obscene or unchaste language; as, a loose epistle. Dryden. At loose ends, not in order; in confusion; carelessly managed.

– Fast and loose. See under Fast.

– To break loose. See under Break.

– Loose pulley. (Mach.) See Fast and loose pulleys, under Fast.

– To let loose, to free from restraint or confinement; to set at liberty.

Loose, n.

1. Freedom from restraint. [Obs.] Prior.

2. A letting go; discharge. B. Jonson. To give a loose, to give freedom. Vent all its griefs, and give a loose to sorrow. Addison.

Loose, v. n. [imp. & p. p. Loosed; p. pr. & vb. n. Loosing.] Etym: [From Loose, a.]

1. To untie or unbind; to free from any fastening; to remove the shackles or fastenings of; to set free; to relieve. Canst thou . . . loose the bands of Orion Job. xxxviii. 31. Ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her; loose them, and bring them unto me. Matt. xxi. 2.

2. To release from anything obligatory or burdensome; to disengage; hence, to absolve; to remit. Art thou loosed from a wife seek not a wife. 1 Cor. vii. 27. Whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Matt. xvi. 19.

3. To relax; to loosen; to make less strict. The joints of his loins were loosed. Dan. v. 6.

4. To solve; to interpret. [Obs.] Spenser.

Loose, v. i.

Definition: To set sail. [Obs.] Acts xiii. 13.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

20 June 2024

INSIGNIFICANTLY

(adverb) not to a significant degree or amount; “our budget will only be insignificantly affected by these new cuts”


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Coffee Trivia

According to Guinness World Records, the largest coffee press is 230 cm (7 ft 6 in) in height and 72 cm (2 ft 4 in) in diameter and was created by Salzillo Tea and Coffee (Spain) in Murcia, Spain, in February 2007. The cafetière consists of a stainless steel container, a filtering piston, and a superior lid.

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