as in meekly
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Recent Examples of passively
And beyond the jarring aesthetic of wearing all these devices, there’s also the weirdness of walking around with the ability to record people around you — sometimes passively.
—
Brian Cheung, NBC news, 16 Mar. 2026
Vision isn’t a camera, passively recording the world.
—Arryn Robbins, The Conversation, 11 Mar. 2026
There's also a shallow pool at the base of the main building that helps passively cool the interior.
—New Atlas, 28 Feb. 2026
Sports stop being something to enjoy or share or connect you to your community, and become just another way to passively spend (and occasionally earn) money.
—Literary Hub, 26 Feb. 2026
And there just isn’t a way to passively cool a 60 kilowatt AI data center rack quickly enough to avoid the problems and associated costs of insufficient cooling.
—Big Think, 24 Feb. 2026
No one needs to stoically, passively wait for whatever life might add or subtract, surrendering free will to fate without fighting back.
—Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 24 Feb. 2026
The effect isn’t passively observant but, rather, rigorously formal, embodying Depardon’s own concentrated engagement and demanding the same involvement of viewers.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2026
Not passively reading about it.
—Matt Shumer, Fortune, 11 Feb. 2026
Brian Cheung, NBC news, 16 Mar. 2026
Vision isn’t a camera, passively recording the world.
—Arryn Robbins, The Conversation, 11 Mar. 2026
There's also a shallow pool at the base of the main building that helps passively cool the interior.
—New Atlas, 28 Feb. 2026
Sports stop being something to enjoy or share or connect you to your community, and become just another way to passively spend (and occasionally earn) money.
—Literary Hub, 26 Feb. 2026
And there just isn’t a way to passively cool a 60 kilowatt AI data center rack quickly enough to avoid the problems and associated costs of insufficient cooling.
—Big Think, 24 Feb. 2026
No one needs to stoically, passively wait for whatever life might add or subtract, surrendering free will to fate without fighting back.
—Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 24 Feb. 2026
The effect isn’t passively observant but, rather, rigorously formal, embodying Depardon’s own concentrated engagement and demanding the same involvement of viewers.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2026
Not passively reading about it.
—Matt Shumer, Fortune, 11 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for passively
Adverb
-
That was checkmate, as Martinez grounded out meekly to end the season.—
Tyler Kepner,
New York Times,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Are members of Congress really supposed to sit meekly and quietly while the president uses the rostrum of their chamber to abuse and insult them in the ugliest language?—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
25 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Once the players returned to the field, Diaz inexplicably tried a Panenka-style chip and his weak penalty sailed tamely into the arms of Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
18 Jan. 2026
-
Dominik Szoboszlai had just squandered a golden chance by firing tamely into the arms of Emiliano Martinez after winning the ball back high up the field when the Kop parked their frustration and vocally declared their unwavering faith in the Dutchman.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
Adverb
-
Pope hit a monster triple from the corner put the Horns up 75-68 with 1 minute, 29 seconds left and after Vokietaitis final miss, Mark calmly sunk four straight throws down the stretch to keep the Horns in the tournament.—
Cedric Golden,
Austin American Statesman,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Over the next few minutes, Rios calmly coached Martin through the safe delivery of their son, Jack, and the placenta, as firefighters responded about 10 minutes later to take them to the hospital, the department said.—
Carlos E. Castañeda,
CBS News,
20 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
That sequence also introduces a placidly smiley Kylie Jenner playing herself on seemingly a Valium-Adderall speedball of deluded bounciness.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
24 Jan. 2026
-
Often neglected are the two whorled figures, strolling placidly in the background.—
Doreen St. Félix,
New Yorker,
6 Dec. 2025
Adverb
-
In 2009, when an election was stolen from a reformist candidate and handed to a hard-liner, millions of people marched peacefully in the streets.—
Azadeh Moaveni,
New Yorker,
22 Mar. 2026
-
The foundation highlighted that tens of thousands of residents took to the streets to peacefully protest federal overreach and threats to immigrant families and constitutional protections.—
WCCO Staff,
CBS News,
19 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Some of the humor was mildly edgy, including jokes about pedophiles, the Epstein files and disgraced royal Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
22 Mar. 2026
-
Magen David Adom announced that the series of missiles fired from Iran also mildly injured a man in the city of Bnei Brak.—
Molly Parks,
The Washington Examiner,
18 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Haley McCutcheon’s through ball allowed Banda to break through Seattle’s defense and coolly place it past Claudia Dickey for a goal in her first game back after missing the second half of 2025 due to an injury.—
Kyle Foley,
The Orlando Sentinel,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Two hours after the deadline swept past the Broncos’ building in Dove Valley, their then-22-year-old receiver at the center of the fanbase’s buzz sat at his locker, coolly pulling on his gear.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
10 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Head to Rin-Tei, a tiny and serenely spare spot at the intersection of Crystal Springs Road and El Camino in San Mateo that oozes zen.—
Laura Ness,
Mercury News,
8 Feb. 2026
-
For nearly four decades, the foundation operated serenely.—
Alice Gregory,
New Yorker,
16 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Passively.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/passively. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.
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