as in meekly
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Recent Examples of passively
Most recently, in 2023, a group of British researchers found that ticks are passively attracted to furry hosts, whose fluffy coats accumulate electrons.
—
Cody Cottier, Scientific American, 23 Oct. 2025
By inviting children to deliberate, argue, and choose winners, SIFF is essentially teaching media literacy as a creative discipline, cultivating audiences who interpret film critically, not passively.
—Essie Assibu, Variety, 21 Oct. 2025
The system uses spectroscopy to determine how light interacts with your waste, while also passively monitoring its frequency, consistency, and shape, The Verge reports.
—PC Magazine, 21 Oct. 2025
All of it passively consumed, all of it scrolled on by.
—Julie Beck, The Atlantic, 16 Oct. 2025
The researchers did not actively intercept communications but only passively listened to what was being transmitted.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 14 Oct. 2025
The first was to use his ball-carrying to advance beyond opponents who pressed passively.
—The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
Interestingly, most dogs spent much of their time lying passively, but activity spiked in the first hour of separation.
—Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
Students learn to leverage technology for creative problem-solving, not just consume it passively.
—Jaime Catmull, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
Cody Cottier, Scientific American, 23 Oct. 2025
By inviting children to deliberate, argue, and choose winners, SIFF is essentially teaching media literacy as a creative discipline, cultivating audiences who interpret film critically, not passively.
—Essie Assibu, Variety, 21 Oct. 2025
The system uses spectroscopy to determine how light interacts with your waste, while also passively monitoring its frequency, consistency, and shape, The Verge reports.
—PC Magazine, 21 Oct. 2025
All of it passively consumed, all of it scrolled on by.
—Julie Beck, The Atlantic, 16 Oct. 2025
The researchers did not actively intercept communications but only passively listened to what was being transmitted.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 14 Oct. 2025
The first was to use his ball-carrying to advance beyond opponents who pressed passively.
—The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
Interestingly, most dogs spent much of their time lying passively, but activity spiked in the first hour of separation.
—Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
Students learn to leverage technology for creative problem-solving, not just consume it passively.
—Jaime Catmull, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for passively
Adverb
-
In other words, students prepare for citizenship in a disputatious society by practicing the civic arts—by asserting and advocating for their views—not by meekly absorbing lessons from their instructors.—
Christopher L. Eisgruber,
Time,
9 Oct. 2025
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Well, after years of stuttering, pausing, juddering, waiting for the goalkeeper to dive and then rolling spot kicks meekly into the net, Nick Woltemade may have just reversed the trend.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
That test soon divides matter, even for a far from sensitive ear, into what reads well & what reads tamely, haltingly, jerkily, lopsidedly, top-heavily, or otherwise badly.—
Ben Yagoda,
New Yorker,
22 Sep. 2025
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Wilson Isidor’s shot was unthreatening enough but Hermansen’s attempts to push it around his post were fluffed, allowing the ball to bounce tamely into the corner.—
The Athletic UK Staff,
New York Times,
20 Aug. 2025
Adverb
-
Approach cautiously and calmly.—
Cody Godwin,
USA Today,
22 Oct. 2025
-
Praise curiosity, and if signs of stress appear, calmly move them to a more comfortable distance.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
All three kittens were in a cage in the trunk of their minivan, placidly watching us.—
Tao Lin,
Harpers Magazine,
20 Aug. 2025
-
One goalkeeper robot stood placidly as its opponent kicked a ball at its legs several times before finally managing to score.—
Yan Zhuang,
New York Times,
18 Aug. 2025
Adverb
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There's a big difference between disrupting an event and peacefully protesting, Piro said.—
Cate Charron,
IndyStar,
21 Oct. 2025
-
Fierce and focused firefighter defenses left the immediate vicinity peacefully intact, reflecting the historic Inn’s importance to the region.—
Joan Meiners,
AZCentral.com,
20 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
If Washington fails to even mildly improve relations with Brazil, India, and South Africa, Beijing and Moscow will toast their good luck.—
Richard Fontaine,
Foreign Affairs,
27 Oct. 2025
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Baking soda is mildly abrasive, so it shouldn’t be used frequently and it’s not recommended for regular cleaning.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
24 Oct. 2025
Adverb
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Then the pilot coolly opened the door and hopped out of the plane unharmed.—
Karen Kucher,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 Oct. 2025
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The veteran of 71 postseason games slid to his left to field it, coolly executing a fundamental throw home to nab Bauers and keep the game tied, 1-1.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
And Robbie, so serenely, perfectly beautiful, is playing a character teeming with self-loathing.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
19 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Passively.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/passively. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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