quietly
Britishadverb
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in a quiet manner
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between you and me; confidentially
Explanation
Doing anything quietly means doing it while making very little noise. When you sneak down to the kitchen for that last piece of pie, you should tiptoe quietly past the rooms of your sleeping siblings. If the librarian frowns at you, puts a finger to his lips, and says "Shhhh!", it means he would like you to speak more quietly while you're in the library. Use this adverb for anything you do in a soft, hushed, or faint way. Whisper quietly when you don't want to be overheard, and chew your food quietly unless you really want to irritate your brother.
Vocabulary lists containing quietly
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Meanwhile the gains—safer cars, cleaner air, longer lives—have quietly disappeared into what we consider normal.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 18, 2026
Treason indictments against Robert E. Lee and other high-ranking Confederates were drawn up, then quietly shelved.
From Salon • May 18, 2026
"The first day... unfolded as a carefully choreographed state banquet, served on fine porcelain, while traders quietly inspected the cracks beneath the table. The optics were unquestionably constructive," said Stephen Innes at SPI Asset Management.
From Barron's • May 15, 2026
When his character contacts Léa Seydoux’s French plant expert, it becomes almost too much rapturously intelligent star wattage for one quietly poetic movie, even if these god-tier actors are just zooming and talking shop.
From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2026
“Sorry, ma poulette,” he says quietly, though everyone can hear him.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
