idly

adverb

ˈī-dᵊl-ē 

ˈīd-lē

: in an idle manner: such as

a

: without much thought, effort or attention

idly staring out the window

idly flipping from one channel to another

Harry … doodled idly on his parchment ignoring Hermione's frequent glares and nudges …

—J. K. Rowling

b

: in a lazy or inactive manner or state

sat with her hands resting idly in her lap

spent the day lying idly on the couch

Barber left London the next day, and for six months sat idly in Addis Ababa waiting for something to happen.

—Waverly Root

c

: without taking any action

"The time has come to speak," she said. "I cannot stand idly by [=do nothing] and see a young man going to perdition!"

—P. G. Wodehouse

… a party who has been wronged by a breach of contract may not unreasonably sit idly by and allow damages to accumulate.

—John D. Calamari and Joseph M. Perillo

Examples of idly in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Our faith traditions teach us not to stand idly by the blood of our neighbors. —Joel Mosbacher, New York Daily News, 24 Apr. 2025

For months, tensions had been building between the two city-states as the Athenians clashed with Sparta’s friends and the Spartans sat idly by. —A. Wess Mitchell, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025

Wharton idly wonders how Serena figures in the new PR campaign: Shouldn’t Gilead’s global ambassador be in New Bethlehem to greet the new arrivals? —Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 8 Apr. 2025

As they were being attacked, the suit claims that a campus public security officer witnessed the event and stood idly by. —Carolyn Stein, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing idly

• sit idly by
• stand idly by

Rhymes for idly

• widely
• impliedly
• unqualifiedly