passively

adverb

Definition of passivelynext
as in meekly

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of passively The answer is to not passively accept what is given but to organize to make our voices heard. — Torie Bosch, STAT, 5 Sep. 2026 Americans could buy a diversified index fund, passively hold it for the long-term and reap the rewards. — Medora Lee, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026 Unlike navigational systems that work actively with satellites to know their exact locations, quantum sensors work passively to make measurements of physical properties like gravitational or magnetic fields to determine their position. — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 28 Aug. 2026 Because beamforming reports are broadcast back to the access point in the clear, a Wi-Fi adapter within range can passively record them in monitor mode. — New Atlas, 26 Aug. 2026 Teams that use this scheme typically play more passively up front. — Ted Nguyen, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026 The discussion becomes richer because the audience is no longer receiving information passively. — Chiara Alzati, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026 Someone who occasionally feels warm may do fine with a gel or phase-change topper that passively wicks heat. — Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 20 Aug. 2026 Just like the good teachers of Philadelphia’s most (in)famous elementary school, Einhorn, his fellow directors, and the show’s cinematographers and camera team do not want viewers to be passengers, passively receiving information. — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 14 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for passively
  1. meekly
  2. tamely
  3. calmly
  4. placidly
  5. peacefully
  6. mildly
  7. coolly
  8. serenely
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
  • Lock, who is in his eighth NFL season, calmly faked a handoff on fourth-and-1, jutted to his left and located Smith-Njigba, who did the rest with his legs.
    — Andrew Destin, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Haaretz says Netanyahu responded calmly, insisting Israel was prepared and the greater threat lay in the West Bank, while his office now brands the report an ‘absolute lie’ and rejects calls for an inquiry.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 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
  • Parton died peacefully last week, her nephew Bryan Seaver announced in a news release shared with The Times.
    — Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026
  • After all, their eventual conversation about kids with Samir’s girlfriend takes place while Issa is peacefully tied up in a chair.
    — Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of peacefully
Adverb
  • The head of Germany’s central bank told CNBC on Friday that persistently higher energy prices could spur the European Central Bank to move interest rates into mildly restrictive territory to combat inflation.
    — Jenni Reid, CNBC, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Verrett spent much of his final years at ESPN picking social media fights with people who voiced even mildly conservative opinions.
    — Bobby Burack OutKick, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of mildly
Adverb
  • The family’s dream home (a magazine-pristine and coolly atmospheric feat by production designer Alain Bainée) certainly looks solid, but proves quite permeable — beginning one morning when a gaping hole suddenly appears in the garden wall.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 8 Sep. 2026
  • As if to signal this iteration hasn’t completely deviated from its roots, in the show’s opening moments, Deborah Wayne coolly flicks the iconic flip-up frames made famous by Hardison’s Dwayne.
    — Senior Television, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of coolly
Adverb
  • Nestled serenely in northern South Dakota on Native American land and surrounded by livestock and crops as far as the eye can see, Timber Lake is a ranching community with two pumps serving regular gas and no stoplights.
    — Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • 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
Definition of serenely

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Cite this Entry

“Passively.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/passively. Accessed 12 Sep. 2026.

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