Synonyms

meekly

American

[meek-lee] / ˈmik li /

adverb

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

meek ( def. ) + -ly

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.

Maheesh Theekshana chipped the ball meekly to Jamie Overton off the rope at long-on.

From BBC • Jan. 30, 2026

The question is whether the party now meekly succumbs to the browbeating:

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 14, 2026

Makeshift opener Travis Head hit an explosive 69-ball century to power Australia to victory in a high-octane first Ashes Test on Saturday after a shell-shocked England meekly surrendered in the Perth Stadium cauldron.

From Barron's • Nov. 22, 2025

Then, the top of the order couldn’t get the ball out of the infield in the sixth inning, meekly disappearing on 13 pitches.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 2, 2025

“Back I went, and made the Primroses as interesting as ever I could. Once I was wicked enough to stop in a thrilling place, and say meekly, ‘I’m afraid it tires you, ma’am.

From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023