idly
Americanadverb
-
without taking action or showing concern.
We cannot stand idly by and let evil prevail!
-
without apparent purpose or intention; aimlessly.
He would tinker idly in his workshop for hours.
-
in a lazy way; indolently.
Neither of them does anything much in life besides live idly or recklessly.
Other Word Forms
- overidly adverb
- unidly adverb
Etymology
Origin of idly
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 can no longer sit idly by while our rural communities go without help. They deserve solutions and security, not another decade of inaction and uncertainty.”
From Los Angeles Times
Unseasonably high temperatures even left the impressive array of high-tech artificial-snow makers below mostly useless, their fans spinning idly in the warm breeze.
From Los Angeles Times
The sails had gone slack, and the disappointed girl slumped in one of the cozy nursery chairs and clicked idly at the beads of her abacus: back and forth, back and forth.
From Literature
He said the directive to his troops is clear to “not stand idly by, and do everything in your power to prevent any act of nationalist crime.”
It doesn’t have to be a full project — just a few trays in the oven while you do laundry or scroll idly.
From Salon
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.
