as in meekly
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Recent Examples of passively
Job creation and unemployment rate numbers forcefully grab the headlines on the first Friday of each month, when the Bureau of Labor Statistics issues its monthly tally, and then passively fade into yesterday’s news.
—
Eli Amdur, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
Lily the entrepreneur-warrior-hunter may try to actively determine the course of her own life, but she’s also portrayed as passively in the tidal grip of large impersonal forces like money, desire, and different social rules for women and men.
—Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2025
In fact, some early research shows kids learn new words faster when engaging in dialogue with AI rather than passively consuming media.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 31 Aug. 2025
The assumption was that when one species splits from another, the two new forms passively evolve away from each other, drifting solo on their evolutionary paths like two untethered buoys at sea.
—Jake Buehler, Quanta Magazine, 28 Aug. 2025
These tools only listen passively.
—Adam Stone, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2025
As a riff on the British whodunit, Columbus’ film is simply a cozy, and perhaps an all too simple, affair — nothing more than a jigsaw puzzle that neither challenges nor frustrates, but only passively entertains.
—Manuel Betancourt, Variety, 22 Aug. 2025
Using only small, off-the-shelf magnets, the researchers developed a system that passively separates oxygen bubbles from water during electrolysis without requiring extra power.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 19 Aug. 2025
In lab experiments simulating mesospheric air pressure and illumination, the researchers showed that their devices could float passively, without any power source.
—Payal Dhar, Scientific American, 19 Aug. 2025
Eli Amdur, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
Lily the entrepreneur-warrior-hunter may try to actively determine the course of her own life, but she’s also portrayed as passively in the tidal grip of large impersonal forces like money, desire, and different social rules for women and men.
—Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2025
In fact, some early research shows kids learn new words faster when engaging in dialogue with AI rather than passively consuming media.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 31 Aug. 2025
The assumption was that when one species splits from another, the two new forms passively evolve away from each other, drifting solo on their evolutionary paths like two untethered buoys at sea.
—Jake Buehler, Quanta Magazine, 28 Aug. 2025
These tools only listen passively.
—Adam Stone, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2025
As a riff on the British whodunit, Columbus’ film is simply a cozy, and perhaps an all too simple, affair — nothing more than a jigsaw puzzle that neither challenges nor frustrates, but only passively entertains.
—Manuel Betancourt, Variety, 22 Aug. 2025
Using only small, off-the-shelf magnets, the researchers developed a system that passively separates oxygen bubbles from water during electrolysis without requiring extra power.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 19 Aug. 2025
In lab experiments simulating mesospheric air pressure and illumination, the researchers showed that their devices could float passively, without any power source.
—Payal Dhar, Scientific American, 19 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for passively
Adverb
-
City succumbed too meekly given their spine included Ruben Dias, John Stones, Rodri and Haaland at the end of the match.—
Jordan Campbell,
New York Times,
1 Sep. 2025
-
United finished 15th in the Premier League, their lowest league position since they were relegated in 1974, and surrendered meekly to Tottenham in the Europa League final.—
Dan Cancian,
Forbes.com,
28 Aug. 2025
Adverb
-
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
-
Discussions around social media have the best chance of success when a parent is able to approach it calmly.—
Ashleigh N. DeLuca,
Parents,
4 Sep. 2025
-
With her eyes closed, Val calmly patted her feline.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Sep. 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
-
But others suggested that with Kirk’s death, any possibility of peacefully bridging the divide between the right and left was now off the table.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Iryna was killed while sitting peacefully, an innocent life taken in a shocking and brutal way.—
Tanasia Kenney,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
But now, Netflix has deemed that almost any mildly or very successful show like Wednesday must now air its episodes in a 2+ month split, broken in half, or in some ridiculous instances, broken into thirds (see the November 26, December 25, December 31 split for Stranger Things season 5).—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Try the curry and other unlisted offerings Cranston’s favorite is Japanese curry, a mildly spiced and slightly sweet, rich brown curry sauce served with steamed rice.—
Lennie Omalza,
The Courier-Journal,
3 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
Esther is smiling; Bella looks coolly down her nose and into the lens.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Charismatic and coolly intelligent, Gray was a perfect early platform for Washington’s leading-man chops.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
15 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Passively.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/passively. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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