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

If anyone's ever idly wondered, Knight uses her mom’s maiden name professionally to avoid preferential treatment at NCIS. —Sara Netzley, EW.com, 25 Mar. 2024

In the winter, those concrete stones sit idly by in the groundcover beds waiting for their next time of use. —Neil Sperry, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Mar. 2024

But when discourse fails and mob mentality takes hold, the audience is forced to stand idly by as Thomas is thrown to the wolves. —Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 19 Mar. 2024

No Maryland parent would stand idly by as a predator peered through their child’s bedroom window or followed their kid to the park or mall after school, Kramer said while describing the bill to a state Senate committee last month. —Katie Shepherd, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024

Photographs and video from the streets around the U.N.'s headquarters where the summits were hosted show long lines of black SUVs both idly running their engines or moving in motorcades. —Thomas Catenacci, Fox News, 21 Sep. 2023

With Taiwan’s sense of self and China’s expectations in conflict, Mr. Xi is not expected to sit idly by. —Damien Cave, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2024

But a powerless display sitting idly in a room does not rise to such a level. —Matthew Malec, National Review, 27 Dec. 2023

After being escorted from the car, the driver, 25-year-old Miguel Delacruz-Martinez, sat idly in the back of an ambulance, smiling sleepily, unharmed. —Curbed, 6 Dec. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing idly

• sit idly by
• stand idly by