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

Expecting Texans to shoulder this burden on their own while the rest of the country stood idly by would be morally indefensible and undermine the idea of our country as a group of states united. —Colin Pascal, Baltimore Sun, 26 July 2025

That said, her clients aren't sitting idly on the sidelines. —Hayley Cuccinello, CNBC, 24 July 2025

As the only democracy in the Middle East that actively protects minority rights, Israel has not stood idly by. —Sawsan Natour-Hasson, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 July 2025

Smart leaders use times of risk to create opportunity, not sit idly by while others succeed. —Preston Fore, Fortune, 10 July 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