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.
He’s just done it more quietly, without attaching the force of his weird personality as a condition.
From Slate ● Oct. 17, 2026
The MLA added that "opportunities that educate, inspire and broaden horizons are quietly lost while Stormont remains distracted from the issues that matter most to families".
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
Australia's military uses the small uncrewed boats to quietly surveil its vast northern coastline, powered by a solar mast and wind.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
The decision comes as ICE is quietly shedding many of the 12,000 new recruits it hired last year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
“Let’s go back to the train station,” Theo says quietly.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
