PASSIVELY Synonyms: 44 Similar and Opposite Words

passively

adverb

Definition of passively

as in meekly

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Recent Examples of passively And, of course, all my various resource gathering teams are working passively to give me piles of materials. — Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 25 July 2026 Altitude control comes from changing overall motor thrust, and its spinning nature makes the drone passively stable. — IEEE Spectrum, 16 July 2026 Wearable solutions are designed to integrate seamlessly into daily life, collecting data passively and allowing it to be shared with clinicians, partners, or support networks when needed. — Matt Emma, USA Today, 14 July 2026 Less noise, more space to actually think instead of passively consuming. — Casey Delbasso, ABC News, 14 July 2026 Underwater, the wings passively bend up to 90%, which cuts the load on the motor and shortens the effective sweep of each flap. — New Atlas, 13 July 2026 Traveling such vast distances between our solar system's most remote objects means New Horizons often cruises for months at a time with little to do other than passively collect data. — Brett Tingley, Space.com, 8 July 2026 The people who are going to make a difference are not the ones who seek relaxation and passively use AI to work less. — David Brooks, The Atlantic, 28 June 2026 Antares Nuclear’s Mark-0 employs sodium heat pipes that passively transfer heat away from the reactor core without using power. — Idaho Statesman, 25 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for passively

Adverb

When Luke tells him, meekly, not to touch Crystal, Max only wants to know who the young man is.

— JP Mangalindan, Time, 31 July 2026
Sincere meekly hands her a flower from his pocket and sits down, appearing penitent.

— Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 29 June 2026

Definition of meekly

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

Definition of tamely

Adverb

Effective negotiation involves approaching discussions calmly, thorough preparation by understanding all parties' needs and alternatives, and utilizing strong communication skills like active listening.

— Kate Wieczorek, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
In fact, long before Ricky and Tepper’s bizarro movie night, that same news anchor (Ryan Perez) sits in a field behind a rundown building, calmly announcing Armageddon as a pack of zombies closes in.

— Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 27 July 2026

Definition of calmly

Adverb

The waters of a continent – west from the Rockies and east from the Appalachians – pour into it, sometimes violently, sometimes placidly.

— Alfredo Sosa, Christian Science Monitor, 24 June 2026
Nature is no big deal in Cristian Mungiu‘s superb new drama of systemic order and individual disarray, which takes in the sprawling waters and monochrome mountainscapes of the region with a placidly appreciative eye.

— Guy Lodge, Variety, 18 May 2026

Definition of placidly

Adverb

According to her obituary from Laird Funeral Home, Moylan died peacefully on Monday, July 27, after a struggle with dementia.

— Rick West, Chicago Tribune, 1 Aug. 2026
It is set in Mano Majra, a fictional village on the new frontier between India and Pakistan, where Sikh and Muslim families have lived together peacefully for generations.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 July 2026

Definition of peacefully

Adverb

After controlling the ball twice with his head, Bouanga sprinted into the box and coolly lifted it over goalkeeper Stefan Cleveland and into the net.

— Josh Gross, Daily News, 26 July 2026
Introspection is hardly foreign to country music, but Langley’s coolly reflective approach stands out in a genre defined by social collisions—by scenes of cowboys and cowgirls settling scores.

— Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 23 July 2026

Definition of coolly

Adverb

The cumulative impression of Alice that the book leaves is of someone moving serenely through life, meeting fond blessings and awful curses both with the same calm equanimity.

— Ian Penman, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026
The camera then panned to a cool and collected Moore, who could be seen serenely watching the frenzy from a chair in the corner.

— Lara Walsh, InStyle, 25 July 2026

Definition of serenely

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“Passively.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/passively. Accessed 7 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of passively

adverb

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