glancingly

IPA/ˈɡlɑːn.sɪŋ.li/
IPA/ˈɡlæn.sɪŋ.li/

glancingly — adverb

1. so that something only brushes a surface from the side instead of hitting it squ

1.adverbC2
Definition

so that something only brushes a surface from the side instead of hitting it squarely.

Example

The tennis ball hit the net glancingly and still dropped inside the line.

hit + glancingly before changing direction

A branch brushed glancingly across Naoko's hat as she ducked under the tree.

brush glancingly across + object

Common collocations
  • hit glancingly
  • strike glancingly
  • brush glancingly across
  • catch glancingly
  • glance glancingly off
Synonyms
  • diagonally

    broader and more everyday; often describes direction rather than contact

  • aslant

    literary or formal; often used for light, rain, or a line

  • sideways

    more general and less tied to a brushing impact

Antonyms
  • squarely

    with full contact, not from the side

  • head-on

    in a direct line, facing the object straight

Grammar Patterns

hit / strike / brush + glancingly

glancingly + across / off

Usage Note

Most often used with verbs of contact such as hit, strike, brush, or catch. It suggests light side contact rather than a full, direct impact.

Common Mistakes

The car hit the wall glancingly and stopped dead.
The car hit the wall glancingly and scraped along the side.
use this sense only when the contact comes from the side, not straight on.

2. in a brief or indirect way that only touches on a subject instead of explaining

2.adverbC2
Definition

in a brief or indirect way that only touches on a subject instead of explaining it fully or treating it as important.

Example

Padma glancingly mentioned the hospital bill before changing the subject.

mention + glancingly for a brief reference

The news report dealt glancingly with the strike and rushed back to celebrity gossip.

deal with + glancingly

Common collocations
  • mention glancingly
  • deal with glancingly
  • refer glancingly to
  • answer glancingly
  • treat glancingly
Synonyms
  • briefly

    more neutral; does not always suggest avoidance or downplaying

  • indirectly

    broader and more common; often stresses lack of openness

  • lightly

    can stress treating a serious subject as if it mattered less

Antonyms
  • fully

    with complete treatment and detail

  • directly

    openly and without avoiding the point

  • seriously

    with the weight or care the topic deserves

Grammar Patterns

mention / refer to / deal with + glancingly

answer / treat + glancingly

Usage Note

Most common with verbs such as mention, refer to, deal with, or answer. It often suggests either brief treatment or a tone that makes the subject seem less serious than it really is.

Common Mistakes

The committee glancingly solved the funding problem.
The committee dealt glancingly with the funding problem.
this sense is about how little attention a topic receives, not about solving it.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/2

'Glancingly' suggests that a subject is only touched and then left, often with a sense of avoidance or downplaying. If a report deals glancingly with safety problems, it gives them very little space or weight. 'Briefly' is wider and more neutral: you can mention a topic briefly without minimizing it. 'Indirectly' overlaps when the speaker avoids a point, but it focuses more on not speaking openly than on the short, passing treatment itself. 'Lightly' can be close when someone treats a serious matter as less important than it is, but it does not always suggest the same quick, passing reference. Use 'glancingly' when both brevity and sideways treatment matter.

glancingly ↗briefly ↗indirectly ↗lightly ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

  • hit glancingly
  • brush glancingly across
  • mention glancingly
  • deal with glancingly
  • refer glancingly to

Etymology

English

Built in English from the participial adjective 'glancing' plus the adverb ending '-ly'. The base verb 'glance' has long referred both to moving off at an angle and to giving only a quick look or passing mention, which explains the two adverb senses here.

First known use

1541

1541, in the meaning defined at sense 1