thickly

thickly — adverb

1. Describes cutting or slicing something so that each piece comes out wide and thi

1.adverbB1
Definition

Describes cutting or slicing something so that each piece comes out wide and thick, rather than thin.

Example

Feng sliced the bread thickly for the morning toast.

slice + thickly for food preparation

The carpenter cut the wooden boards thickly to make sturdy shelves.

cut + thickly for materials

Common collocations
  • slice thickly
  • cut thickly
  • carve thickly
  • chop thickly
Synonyms
  • generously

    more informal, often used for spreads rather than cuts

  • heavily

    emphasises weight rather than width

Antonyms
  • thinly

    produces thin, narrow pieces instead

Grammar Patterns

[cut/slice/chop] + thickly

Usage Note

Commonly used with verbs of cutting: slice, cut, chop, carve. The focus is on the width of each piece, not the depth of a layer.

Common Mistakes

She thickly sliced the bread.
She sliced the bread thickly.
'thickly' follows the verb; placing it before the verb sounds unnatural in this sense.

2. Used when a substance such as snow, paint, dust, or butter forms a deep layer th

2.adverbB1
Definition

Used when a substance such as snow, paint, dust, or butter forms a deep layer that covers a surface completely.

Example

Snow lay thickly on the streets after the overnight blizzard.

lie + thickly (natural accumulation)

Heather spread the butter thickly on her toast.

Common collocations
  • lie thickly
  • spread thickly
  • be coated thickly
  • be covered thickly
  • settle thickly
Synonyms
  • heavily

    emphasises weight or density of the layer

  • generously

    positive connotation, especially for food spreads

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

[cover/spread/coat/lie] + thickly

Usage Note

Often used with passive constructions (be thickly covered/coated/spread). The layer is the focus, not the individual pieces.

Common Mistakes

The snow thickly lay on the ground.
The snow lay thickly on the ground.
'thickly' follows the verb in descriptions of natural states.

3. Describes a situation where many people, plants, or objects fill an area with ve

3.adverbB1
Definition

Describes a situation where many people, plants, or objects fill an area with very little empty space between them.

Example

The pine forest grew thickly on the mountain slopes.

grow + thickly (natural vegetation density)

Houses were built thickly in the older part of the city centre.

Common collocations
  • grow thickly
  • plant thickly
  • stand thickly
  • gather thickly
  • be built thickly
Synonyms
  • densely

    nearly interchangeable; 'densely' is more neutral, 'thickly' is more visual

  • closely

    emphasises small gaps between items

Antonyms
  • sparsely

    things placed far apart with lots of empty space

Grammar Patterns

[grow/plant/stand/gather] + thickly

Usage Note

Describes spatial density — whether natural (plants, trees) or human-made (buildings, crowds). The image is of many units packed together with little empty space between them.

4. When someone speaks thickly, their regional accent or dialect is very strong and

4.adverbB2
Definition

When someone speaks thickly, their regional accent or dialect is very strong and clearly reveals where they come from.

Example

The tour guide spoke thickly with a southern accent that the visitors found charming.

speak thickly with [accent]

Rania's grandfather still speaks thickly in the dialect of the village where he grew up.

Common collocations
  • speak thickly
  • talk thickly
  • speak thickly with an accent
  • speak thickly in a dialect
Synonyms
  • heavily

    more common in modern usage; 'heavy accent' vs 'thick accent' are both natural

Grammar Patterns

speak + thickly + with + [accent/dialect]

Usage Note

Only used for speech and accents. Unlike the other senses, this one describes a quality of sound rather than physical thickness. The accent is 'thick' meaning strong and unmistakable.

Common Mistakes

He thickly spoke with an Irish accent.
He spoke thickly with an Irish accent.
'thickly' follows the verb in natural English word order.

5. Describes a voice that sounds unclear, rough, or muffled because the speaker is

5.adverbB2
Definition

Describes a voice that sounds unclear, rough, or muffled because the speaker is tired, sick, upset, or emotional.

Example

Hassan answered the phone thickly, his voice still rough from sleep.

answer + thickly (sleep-affected voice)

Nadia tried to explain what happened, but she spoke thickly through her tears.

Common collocations
  • speak thickly
  • answer thickly
  • say thickly
  • voice comes out thickly
Synonyms
  • hoarsely

    specifically a rough, dry throat; 'thickly' can also come from crying or emotion

  • huskily

    suggests a deeper, softer quality, often intentional

Antonyms
  • clearly

    easy to understand, no obstruction in the voice

Grammar Patterns

speak/talk/answer + thickly

Usage Note

Describes a temporary vocal quality caused by physical or emotional state — not a permanent speech impediment. Often appears with crying, illness, or just waking up.

Common Mistakes

He thickly spoke because he was sick.
He spoke thickly because his throat was sore.
the adverb describes the speech quality, not the cause.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/2

All four words describe covering a surface with a substantial amount of something, but they differ in nuance and typical use. 'Thickly' is the most visual — it suggests you can see the depth of the layer, like snow on a roof or butter on bread. 'Heavily' adds a sense of weight or burden: a heavily salted dish might be unpleasant, and heavily applied makeup looks obvious. 'Generously' has a positive, intentional tone — someone spreads jam generously because they want plenty of it. 'Deeply' focuses on vertical depth rather than surface coverage: deeply planted seeds are far below the ground. For a neutral description of a visible layer, 'thickly' is the most natural choice. The snow lay thickly on the ground works better than The snow lay generously on the ground, which sounds odd.

thickly ↗heavily ↗generouslydeeply ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • cut thickly
  • spread thickly
  • lie thickly
  • speak thickly
  • grow thickly
  • plant thickly

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Formed in Middle English by adding the adverbial suffix -ly to 'thick' (from Old English 'þicce', meaning dense or viscous). The word has been used adverbially since the 1300s, with the 'strong accent' and 'unclear voice' senses emerging from the idea of a physically 'thick' substance (something that is not clear or fluid) being extended metaphorically to speech.