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

Maddox Batson sits in a swivel chair in a West Hollywood recording studio on a recent evening, spinning idly as his mother and manager go over their plans for the next few days. —Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026

When broken down, the panels nest inside each other to save space, leaving an empty utility trailer (sold separately) behind for other jobs, so no more big, boxy camper sitting idly in your garage or driveway for the better part of the year. —New Atlas, 21 Jan. 2026

But Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby mustered just two shot attempts apiece, spending their time watching idly as the Knicks offense incessantly grinds into a standstill. —Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 6 Jan. 2026

The boat bobbed idly, water lapping against it. —Kelso Harper, Scientific American, 16 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for idly

• widely
• impliedly
• unqualifiedly