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.
Cuomo, 68, who served as governor from 2011 until his resignation in 2021, quietly picked up the waterfront property in June, according to property records.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
One of the challenges is that the disease can develop quietly for decades.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 1, 2026
Outside a pub in Clapham, a woman quietly laid flowers for 25-year-old Auguste-Marie Bile-aka Amoa, a bus driver, who was shot dead in in August.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
And whatever the penalty, City insists it will not take it quietly.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
Emily was bent over her, quietly pulling the barbs out.
From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
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.
