loosely /ˈluːsli/ adverb4 •In a loose manner.Then she fell back on the altar and her fingers dangled loosely on its edge, her feet uncrossed and lay beside each other. — 1965 •Approximately.It's red, to use the term loosely, sort of brown and sort of orange, let's call it reddish. •Used to indicate an imprecise use of words; short for loosely speakingA whale is, loosely, maybe very loosely, a fish. •Not tightly.Insert all the bolts loosely, then tighten them. formsmore loosely · most loosely