# loosely

> English word · Adverb · IPA /ˈluːsli/ · frequency rank #12,631

## Definitions
1. In a loose manner.
2. Not tightly.
3. Approximately.
4. Used to indicate an imprecise use of words; short for loosely speaking

## Etymology
From Middle English lously; equivalent to loose + -ly.

## Easily confused with
- **lovely** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/loosely-vs-lovely)
- **loosen** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/loosely-vs-loosen)
- **looser** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/loosely-vs-looser)
- **loose** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/loose-vs-loosely)
- **lonely** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/lonely-vs-loosely)
- **looney** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/looney-vs-loosely)

## Common misspellings (10)
`lloosely`, `looesly`, `looselly`, `looselyy`, `looseyl`, `loosley`, `loossely`, `losely`, `losoely`, `olosely`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/loosely