meekly
Americanadverb
-
in a humbly patient or quiet manner.
When addressing a lawyer during oral arguments, the judge often starts meekly with, "Counsel, may I interrupt?"
-
in an overly submissive or compliant manner.
Not knowing what we were getting into, we meekly agreed.
Other Word Forms
- overmeekly adverb
Etymology
Origin of meekly
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.
The question is whether the party now meekly succumbs to the browbeating:
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 14, 2026
Makeshift opener Travis Head smacked an explosive 69-ball century to power Australia to victory in a high-octane first Ashes Test on Saturday as England meekly surrendered in the Perth Stadium cauldron.
From Barron's • Nov. 22, 2025
What sort of precedent would it set if Newcastle were to meekly wave off a player with three years left on his contract, especially to the champions?
From BBC • Aug. 20, 2025
The driver paused, apparently at a loss for words, and meekly apologized.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 2, 2025
“Begging pardon, Miss Sarah, ma’am,” I said meekly.
From "Chains" by Laurie Halse Anderson
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.
