lowly C2+ Topic:Describing People US /ˈloʊli/ UK /ˈləʊli/ See IPA manual Minimal pairs Sounds like lolly /ɑ/ vs /oʊ/ Meanings 1 adj low in rank or status; humble He began his career in a lowly clerical post. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · low in rank or status; humble humblemodestmeeklowbornplebeianunpretentiousmenial ↔ Opposites loftynobleexaltedgrandeminent Word family Derived forms lowliness Related forms low Etymology AI details From low (from Old Norse lágr 'low', from Proto-Germanic *lēgaz) + the suffix -ly. Means 'characteristic of a low rank, humble'. lágr Old Norse *lēgaz Proto-Germanic View etymology graph -> Topics Describing People Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # lowly **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /ˈloʊli/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈləʊli/ ## Meanings 1. low in rank or status; humble ## Examples - He began his career in a lowly clerical post. ## Synonyms - humble - modest - meek - lowborn - plebeian - unpretentious - menial ## Antonyms - lofty - noble - exalted - grand - eminent ## Derived Forms - lowliness ## Related Forms - low ## Roots and Affixes - Root: lágr - Root: *lēgaz ## Etymology From low (from Old Norse lágr 'low', from Proto-Germanic *lēgaz) + the suffix -ly. Means 'characteristic of a low rank, humble'. ## AI Etymology Lowly comes from low (from Old Norse lágr 'low', from Proto-Germanic *lēgaz) + the suffix -ly. Means 'characteristic of a low rank, humble'. The etymological trail includes Old Norse lágr and Proto-Germanic *lēgaz. As an adjective, lowly means low in rank or status; humble. The same family is visible in derived forms such as lowliness and related forms such as low. Morphologically, the word is built from the elements named in its history, so the modern form preserves a visible compound, prefix, or suffix structure. ## Topics - Describing People - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown