PASSIVELY Synonyms: 44 Similar and Opposite Words

passively

adverb

Definition of passively

as in meekly

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Example Sentences

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Recent Examples of passively The film instead passively constructs Tessa’s world as a colorblind one, in which racial difference simply never comes up. — Beandrea July, IndieWire, 14 Sep. 2026 Instead of taking background measurements every few minutes as on the Series 11, these new sensors passively record your heart rate every five seconds, complemented by upgraded electrical sensors for ECG readings. — Andrew Gebhart, PC Magazine, 10 Sep. 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for passively

Adverb

His recollections often take the form of dialogues in which interlocutors meekly acknowledge his overwhelming rhetorical advantage.

— Ian Parker, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026
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

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

The protest in Kinshasa drew hundreds of people and began peacefully, but was dispersed by police with tear gas and warning shots after protesters clashed with pro-government supporters.

— ABC News, ABC News, 15 Sep. 2026
Other videos taken by local media show people marching peacefully through Guatemala City to demand immediate government action.

— Hira Humayun, CNN Money, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of peacefully

Adverb

Even fully healthy, this is a unit that, the last few years, has struggled at the tackle position — and that might be putting it mildly.

— Scott Chasen, Kansas City Star, 14 Sep. 2026
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

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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“Passively.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/passively. Accessed 18 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of passively

adverb

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