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.
“We were able to approach the bird quietly, without disturbing it,” Kanowa said, attributing the win to the super-stealthy electric truck she was driving.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
He then sent out the names of the districts being targeted, quietly lamenting a few typos.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
Corey Seemiller told me every generation tends to romanticize the version of young adulthood it experienced while quietly forgetting the parts that weren’t so glamorous.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
QCDs during those pre-RMD years are quietly one of the best moves available, because every dollar you move out of your account shrinks the balance your future RMDs are calculated on.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
“And, if we do what you want, we’d have to go back to being babies again?” a voice said quietly from the crowd.
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.
