What does thickly mean?
Thickly is an adverb meaning in a thick, dense, or concentrated manner. It is especially common in descriptions of places that are thickly populated, surfaces that are thickly covered, and substances that are falling or accumulating thickly. In these contexts, it emphasizes the closeness or abundance of the things involved: a forest may be thickly wooded, a wall may be thickly coated with paint, and snow may be falling thickly. Although thickly is grammatically derived from thick, it does more than describe physical thickness. It can convey crowding, as in a thickly populated district, or vigorous accumulation, as in mud covering a path thickly. The word is used naturally in both British and American English and carries no strongly formal or informal tone. Its usefulness lies in expressing density or abundance clearly and economically without requiring a longer phrase such as “in a thick layer” or “in great quantities.”
adverbIn a thick or dense manner; in a way that involves a close concentration of people, objects, or material. It can also mean heavily or in large amounts, especially when describing something accumulating or being applied.
- In a dense manner, with people, objects, or material closely concentrated.
- So as to form or cover a thick layer.
- Heavily or in large amounts, especially of something falling or accumulating.
"The old town is thickly covered in wildflowers during spring."
"Thousands of spectators packed the stadium thickly."
"Snow was falling thickly outside, muffling the traffic."
Thickly carries two familiar ideas at once: something can be densely concentrated, or it can be falling or spreading in generous amounts.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does thickly come from?
Thickly is an English adverb formed from thick and the suffix -ly, which converts an adjective into an adverb. Its base word thick descends from Old English þicce and is related to cognates including Dutch dik and German dick. Modern thickly developed through the productive English adjectival and adverbial suffix system.
How thickly is actually used
The word is neutral in register but most often describes density, coverage, or accumulation. It can suggest crowding when applied to people and abundance or intensity when applied to material such as snow, dust, paint, or vegetation.