High vs. Highly — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman & Urooj Arif — Updated on April 8, 2024
High emphasizes magnitude or degree in various contexts, whereas highly focuses on extent or intensity when modifying non-physical qualities.
Difference Between High and Highly
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
High often describes something of great vertical extent, elevation, amount, or degree, relating to physical height, quantities, or even abstract qualities like "high esteem." It can refer to something that is literally tall, like a building, or figuratively elevated, like prices or temperatures. Highly, on the other hand, is an adverb that modifies adjectives or other adverbs, intensifying their meaning. It is used to describe the degree to which something is regarded or the level of its quality, such as "highly respected" or "highly likely." It emphasizes the extent or intensity of a non-physical characteristic or action.
While high can be used in contexts relating to emotions or states of being, such as "high spirits" or "high risk," indicating a substantial degree or level, highly specifically modifies and intensifies, suggesting a superior status or quality, like in "highly emotional" or "highly risky."
High also finds its place in informal language, describing the effects of drugs or alcohol, as in someone being "high." This usage focuses on the altered state of consciousness or mood. Conversely, highly is more formal and is often found in academic, professional, or technical contexts. Its use implies precision in evaluation or opinion, as in "highly efficient" or "highly innovative," suggesting an exceptional degree of efficiency or innovation.
Comparison Chart
Part of Speech
Adjective (primarily)
Adverb
Usage
Describes height, level, or degree
Intensifies or modifies adjectives/adverbs
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Contexts
Physical and abstract qualities
Mostly abstract qualities and actions
Examples
High mountain, high speed
Highly effective, highly regarded
Formality
Both formal and informal
Primarily formal
Compare with Definitions
High
Great in amount, degree, or intensity.
The high temperature caused the plants to wilt.
Highly
To a great extent.
His work is highly appreciated.
High
Superior in rank or status.
She holds a high position in the company.
Highly
With great approval or praise.
She is highly respected in her field.
High
Under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
He was high after the party.
Highly
Very probable or likely.
It's highly likely we'll see changes soon.
High
Tall in height.
The high tower overlooks the city.
Highly
Indicating high degree or quality.
The project is highly complex.
High
At a peak or climax.
His career reached a high point last year.
Highly
With great detail or precision.
The report was highly detailed.
High
Of great vertical extent
The top of a high mountain
Highly
Having a relatively great elevation; extending far upward
A high mountain.
A high tower.
High
Great, or greater than normal, in quantity, size, or intensity
A high temperature
Sweets are very high in calories
Highly
Extending a specified distance upward
A cabinet ten feet high.
High
Great in rank, status, or importance
Both held high office under Lloyd George
Financial security is high on your list of priorities
Highly
Far or farther from a reference point
Was too high in the offensive zone to take a shot.
High
(of a sound or note) having a frequency at the upper end of the auditory range
A high, squeaky voice
Highly
Being at or near the peak or culminating stage
The high tourist season.
High summer.
High
Feeling euphoric, especially from the effects of drugs or alcohol
Some of them were high on Ecstasy
She wasn't tipsy, just a little high
Highly
Advanced in development or complexity
High forms of animal life.
Higher mathematics.
High
(especially of food) unpleasantly strong-smelling because beginning to go bad
It's a type of preserved butter, used for cooking, smells a little high
Highly
Far removed in time; remote
High antiquity.
High
(of a vowel) produced with the tongue relatively near the palate.
Highly
Slightly spoiled or tainted; gamy. Used of meat.
High
A high point, level, or figure
Commodity prices were at a rare high
Highly
Having a bad smell; malodorous.
High
A notably happy or successful moment
The highs and lows of life
Highly
Having a pitch corresponding to a relatively large number of sound-wave cycles per second
The high tones of a flute.
High
High school
I go to junior high
Highly
Raised in pitch; not soft or hushed
A high voice.
High
At or to a considerable or specified height
The sculpture stood about five feet high
A dish piled high with baked beans
Highly
Situated relatively far from the equator
A high latitude.
High
Highly
He ranked high among the pioneers of chemical technology
Highly
Of great importance
Set a high priority on funding the housing program.
High
(of a sound) at or to a high pitch
My voice went high with excitement
Highly
Eminent in rank or status
A high official.
High
Having a relatively great elevation; extending far upward
A high mountain.
A high tower.
Highly
Serious; grave
High crimes and misdemeanors.
High
Extending a specified distance upward
A cabinet ten feet high.
Highly
Constituting a climax; crucial
The chase scene is the high point of the film.
High
Far or farther from a reference point
Was too high in the offensive zone to take a shot.
Highly
Characterized by lofty or stirring events or themes
High adventure.
High drama.
High
Being at or near the peak or culminating stage
The high tourist season.
High summer.
Highly
Lofty or exalted in quality or character
A person of high morals.
High
Advanced in development or complexity
High forms of animal life.
Higher mathematics.
Highly
Greater than usual or expected, as in quantity, magnitude, cost, or degree
“A high price has to be paid for the happy marriage with the four healthy children” (Doris Lessing).
High
Far removed in time; remote
High antiquity.
Highly
Favorable
He has a high opinion of himself.
High
Slightly spoiled or tainted; gamy. Used of meat.
Highly
Of great force or violence
High winds.
High
Having a bad smell; malodorous.
Highly
(Informal) Excited or euphoric
High spirits.
High
Having a pitch corresponding to a relatively large number of sound-wave cycles per second
The high tones of a flute.
Highly
(Slang) Intoxicated by alcohol or a drug, such as cocaine or marijuana.
High
Raised in pitch; not soft or hushed
A high voice.
Highly
Luxurious; extravagant
High living.
High
Situated relatively far from the equator
A high latitude.
Highly
(Linguistics) Of or relating to vowels produced with part of the tongue close to the palate, as in the vowel of tree.
High
Of great importance
Set a high priority on funding the housing program.
Highly
Of, relating to, or being the gear configuration or setting, as in an automotive transmission, that produces the greatest vehicular speed with respect to engine speed.
High
Eminent in rank or status
A high official.
Highly
At, in, or to a lofty position, level, or degree
Saw a plane flying high in the sky.
Prices that had gone too high.
High
Serious; grave
High crimes and misdemeanors.
Highly
In an extravagant or luxurious way
Made a fortune and lived high.
High
Constituting a climax; crucial
The chase scene is the high point of the film.
Highly
A lofty place or region.
High
Characterized by lofty or stirring events or themes
High adventure.
High drama.
Highly
A high level or degree
Summer temperatures reached an all-time high.
High
Lofty or exalted in quality or character
A person of high morals.
Highly
The high gear configuration of a transmission.
High
Greater than usual or expected, as in quantity, magnitude, cost, or degree
“A high price has to be paid for the happy marriage with the four healthy children” (Doris Lessing).
Highly
A center of high atmospheric pressure; an anticyclone.
High
Favorable
He has a high opinion of himself.
Highly
(Informal) An excited or euphoric condition
The team was on a high after winning in overtime.
High
Of great force or violence
High winds.
Highly
(Slang) An intoxicated or euphoric condition induced by alcohol or a drug.
High
(Informal) Excited or euphoric
High spirits.
Highly
In a high or esteemed manner.
He spoke highly of you.
High
(Slang) Intoxicated by alcohol or a drug, such as cocaine or marijuana.
Highly
Extremely; greatly; very much.
He is in a highly visible job.
High
Luxurious; extravagant
High living.
Highly
In a high manner, or to a high degree; very much; as, highly esteemed.
High
(Linguistics) Of or relating to vowels produced with part of the tongue close to the palate, as in the vowel of tree.
Highly
To a high degree or extent; favorably or with much respect;
Highly successful
He spoke highly of her
Does not think highly of his writing
Extremely interesting
High
Of, relating to, or being the gear configuration or setting, as in an automotive transmission, that produces the greatest vehicular speed with respect to engine speed.
Highly
At a high rate or wage;
Highly paid workers
High
At, in, or to a lofty position, level, or degree
Saw a plane flying high in the sky.
Prices that had gone too high.
Highly
In a high position or level or rank;
Details known by only a few highly placed persons
High
In an extravagant or luxurious way
Made a fortune and lived high.
High
A lofty place or region.
High
A high level or degree
Summer temperatures reached an all-time high.
High
The high gear configuration of a transmission.
High
A center of high atmospheric pressure; an anticyclone.
High
(Informal) An excited or euphoric condition
The team was on a high after winning in overtime.
High
(Slang) An intoxicated or euphoric condition induced by alcohol or a drug.
High
Physically elevated, extending above a base or average level:
High
Very elevated; extending or being far above a base; tall; lofty.
The balloon rose high in the sky.
The wall was high.
A high mountain
High
Relatively elevated; rising or raised above the average or normal level from which elevation is measured.
High
Above the batter's shoulders.
The pitch (or: the ball) was high
High
Pertaining to (or, especially of a language: spoken in) in an area which is at a greater elevation, for example more mountainous, than other regions.
High
Having a specified elevation or height; tall.
Three feet high
Three Mount Everests high
High
Elevated in status, esteem, or prestige, or in importance or development; exalted in rank, station, or character.
The oldest of the elves' royal family still conversed in High Elvish.
High
Most exalted; foremost.
The high priest, the high officials of the court, the high altar
High
Of great importance and consequence: grave (if negative) or solemn (if positive).
High crimes, the high festival of the sun
High
Consummate; advanced (e.g. in development) to the utmost extent or culmination, or possessing a quality in its supreme degree, at its zenith.
High (i.e. intense) heat; high (i.e. full or quite) noon; high (i.e. rich or spicy) seasoning; high (i.e. complete) pleasure; high (i.e. deep or vivid) colour; high (i.e. extensive, thorough) scholarship; high tide; high [tourism] season; the High Middle Ages
High
Advanced in complexity (and hence potentially abstract and/or difficult to comprehend).
High
(in several set phrases) Very traditionalist and conservative, especially in favoring older ways of doing things; see e.g. high church, High Tory.
High
Elevated in mood; marked by great merriment, excitement, etc.
In high spirits
High
(of a lifestyle) Luxurious; rich.
High living, the high life
High
Lofty, often to the point of arrogant, haughty, boastful, proud.
A high tone
High
(with "on" or "about") Keen, enthused.
High
With tall waves.
High
Remote (to the north or south) from the equator; situated at (or constituting) a latitude which is expressed by a large number.
High latitude, fish species in high arctic and antarctic areas
High
Large, great (in amount or quantity, value, force, energy, etc).
My bank charges me a high interest rate.
I was running a high temperature and had high cholesterol.
High voltage
High prices
High winds
A high number
High
Having a large or comparatively larger concentration of (a substance, which is often but not always linked by "in" when predicative).
Carrots are high in vitamin A.
Made from a high-copper alloy
High
(acoustics) Acute or shrill in pitch, due to being of greater frequency, i.e. produced by more rapid vibrations (wave oscillations).
The note was too high for her to sing.
High
(phonetics) Made with some part of the tongue positioned high in the mouth, relatively close to the palate.
High
(card games) Greater in value than other cards, denominations, suits, etc.
High
(poker) Having the highest rank in a straight, flush or straight flush.
I have KT742 of the same suit. In other words, a K-high flush.
9-high straight = 98765 unsuited
Royal Flush = AKQJT suited = A-high straight flush
High
(of a card or hand) Winning; able to take a trick, win a round, etc.
North's hand was high. East was in trouble.
High
Strong-scented; slightly tainted/spoiled; beginning to decompose.
Epicures do not cook game before it is high.
The tailor liked his meat high.
High
(informal) intoxicated; under the influence of a mood-altering drug, formerly usually alcohol, but now (from the mid-20th century) usually not alcohol but rather marijuana, cocaine, heroin, etc.
High
Near, in its direction of travel, to the (direction of the) wind.
High
Positioned up the field, towards the opposing team's goal.
Our defensive line is too high.
High
In or to an elevated position.
How high above land did you fly?
The desks were piled high with magazines.
High
In or at a great value.
Costs have grown higher this year again.
High
At a pitch of great frequency.
I certainly can't sing that high.
High
A high point or position, literally (as, an elevated place; a superior region; a height; the sky; heaven).or figuratively (as, a point of success or achievement; a time when things are at their best, greatest, most numerous, maximum, etc).
It was one of the highs of his career.
Inflation reached a ten-year high.
High
The maximum atmospheric temperature recorded at a particular location, especially during one 24-hour period.
Today's high was 32 °C.
High
A period of euphoria, from excitement or from an intake of drugs.
That pill gave me a high for a few hours, before I had a comedown.
High
A drug that gives such a high.
High
A large area of elevated atmospheric pressure; an anticyclone.
A large high is centred on the Azores.
High
(card games) The highest card dealt or drawn.
High
(obsolete) Thought; intention; determination; purpose.
High
(obsolete) To rise.
The sun higheth.
High
To hie; to hasten.
High
To hie.
Men must high them apace, and make haste.
High
To rise; as, the sun higheth.
High
Elevated above any starting point of measurement, as a line, or surface; having altitude; lifted up; raised or extended in the direction of the zenith; lofty; tall; as, a high mountain, tower, tree; the sun is high.
High
Regarded as raised up or elevated; distinguished; remarkable; conspicuous; superior; - used indefinitely or relatively, and often in figurative senses, which are understood from the connection
High
Elevated in character or quality, whether moral or intellectual; preëminent; honorable; as, high aims, or motives.
High
Possessing a characteristic quality in a supreme or superior degree; as, high (i. e., intense) heat; high (i. e., full or quite) noon; high (i. e., rich or spicy) seasoning; high (i. e., complete) pleasure; high (i. e., deep or vivid) color; high (i. e., extensive, thorough) scholarship, etc.
High time it is this war now ended were.
High sauces and spices are fetched from the Indies.
High
Exalted in social standing or general estimation, or in rank, reputation, office, and the like; dignified; as, she was welcomed in the highest circles.
He was a wight of high renown.
High
Strong-scented; slightly tainted; as, epicures do not cook game before it is high.
High
Of noble birth; illustrious; as, of high family.
High
Acute or sharp; - opposed to grave or low; as, a high note.
High
Of great strength, force, importance, and the like; strong; mighty; powerful; violent; sometimes, triumphant; victorious; majestic, etc.; as, a high wind; high passions.
Strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand.
Can heavenly minds such high resentment show?
High
Made with a high position of some part of the tongue in relation to the palate, as ē (ēve), Ō (fŌd). See Guide to Pronunciation, 10, 11.
High
Very abstract; difficult to comprehend or surmount; grand; noble.
Both meet to hear and answer such high things.
Plain living and high thinking are no more.
High
Costly; dear in price; extravagant; as, to hold goods at a high price.
If they must be good at so high a rate, they know they may be safe at a cheaper.
High
Arrogant; lofty; boastful; proud; ostentatious; - used in a bad sense.
An high look and a proud heart . . . is sin.
His forces, after all the high discourses, amounted really but to eighteen hundred foot.
High
In a high manner; in a high place; to a great altitude; to a great degree; largely; in a superior manner; eminently; powerfully.
High
An elevated place; a superior region; a height; the sky; heaven.
High
People of rank or high station; as, high and low.
High
The highest card dealt or drawn.
The dayspring from on high hath visited us.
High
A lofty level or position or degree;
Summer temperatures reached an all-time high
High
An air mass of higher than normal pressure;
The east coast benefits from a Bermuda high
High
A state of sustained elation;
I'm on a permanent high these days
High
A state of altered consciousness induced by alcohol or narcotics;
They took drugs to get a high on
High
A high place;
They stood on high and observed the coutryside
He doesn't like heights
High
A public secondary school usually including grades 9 through 12;
He goes to the neighborhood highschool
High
A forward gear with a gear ratio giving high vehicle velocity for a given engine speed
High
Greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount;
A high temperature
A high price
The high point of his career
High risks
Has high hopes
The river is high
He has a high opinion of himself
High
(literal meanings) being at or having a relatively great or specific elevation or upward extension (sometimes used in combinations like `knee-high');
A high mountain
High ceilings
High buildings
A high forehead
A high incline
A foot high
High
Standing above others in quality or position;
People in high places
The high priest
Eminent members of the community
High
Used of sounds and voices; high in pitch or frequency
High
Happy and excited and energetic
High
Used of the smell of game beginning to taint
High
Slightly and pleasantly intoxicated from alcohol or a drug (especially marijuana)
High
At a great altitude;
He climbed high on the ladder
High
In or to a high position, amount, or degree;
Prices have gone up far too high
High
In a rich manner;
He lives high
High
Far up toward the source;
He lives high up the river
Common Curiosities
Can "high" be used to describe emotions?
Yes, "high" can describe emotions or states of being to indicate intensity, like high excitement.
What does "high" typically describe?
"High" describes physical height, quantities, levels, or degrees, such as a high building or high volume.
How is "highly" used differently from "high"?
"Highly" is an adverb that intensifies adjectives or adverbs, indicating a high degree of something non-physical, like quality or likelihood.
What contexts are suitable for using "high"?
"High" is suitable for both formal and informal contexts, including descriptions of physical height, intensity, or status.
When should "highly" be used?
"Highly" should be used in formal or academic contexts to modify adjectives or adverbs, emphasizing a superior or intense state.
What are synonyms for "highly"?
Extremely, very, exceedingly, or particularly.
Is "highly" appropriate for describing physical objects?
"Highly" is not typically used for physical objects but rather the quality, degree, or intensity of abstract concepts.
How does "high" relate to achievements?
"High" can describe the level or extent of achievements, indicating superiority or excellence.
Can "high" and "highly" be used interchangeably?
No, they serve different grammatical functions and contexts; "high" is an adjective, while "highly" is an adverb.
What does "highly likely" mean?
It means there is a high probability or chance of something happening.
Is "highly" used in negative contexts?
It can be, to emphasize the degree of something negative, like "highly problematic."
How does "high" function in informal slang?
It describes being under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Can "highly" modify any adjective or adverb?
Mostly, but it's more fitting with those denoting qualities or degrees rather than physical descriptions.
Can "high" describe sound?
Yes, it can describe the pitch or volume of sounds, like a high note or high volume.
What are synonyms for "high"?
Tall, elevated, lofty, or great.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Urooj ArifUrooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.
