as in meekly
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Recent Examples of passively
Brito emphasizes that travel invites children to observe, ask questions, interact, and respond to the world in real time rather than consuming it passively through a screen.
—
Rebecca Ann Hughes,
Forbes.com,
25 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
This is a problem because the electrolyzer is not just passively receiving electricity; its chemical reactions actively depend on it.
—
New Atlas,
21 June 2026
Cancers don’t just passively exist in the body.
—
Charles J. Dimitroff,
The Conversation,
12 June 2026
Even better, unlike passively watching a show, cooking requires partners to engage with one another and work toward a shared goal.
—
Mark Travers,
CNBC,
7 June 2026
That’s because many Americans passively invest their 401(k) and other retirement savings through index funds—large stock portfolios tied to indexes such as the S&P 500 or Nasdaq 100 designed to broadly track the market’s performance by pooling together the stocks of the biggest public companies.
—
Matteo Wong,
The Atlantic,
5 June 2026
Many researchers have theorized that melting Ice Age glaciers likely helped passively shift the Altar Stone closer to southern England’s Salisbury Plain around 2500 BCE, shortening the transport distance for Stonehenge’s creators.
—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
4 June 2026
Rather than providing medication, these states are more often choosing to monitor the miscarriage passively instead of intervening.
—
Claire Zillman,
Fortune,
28 May 2026
Rebecca Ann Hughes,
Forbes.com,
25 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
This is a problem because the electrolyzer is not just passively receiving electricity; its chemical reactions actively depend on it.
—
New Atlas,
21 June 2026
Cancers don’t just passively exist in the body.
—
Charles J. Dimitroff,
The Conversation,
12 June 2026
Even better, unlike passively watching a show, cooking requires partners to engage with one another and work toward a shared goal.
—
Mark Travers,
CNBC,
7 June 2026
That’s because many Americans passively invest their 401(k) and other retirement savings through index funds—large stock portfolios tied to indexes such as the S&P 500 or Nasdaq 100 designed to broadly track the market’s performance by pooling together the stocks of the biggest public companies.
—
Matteo Wong,
The Atlantic,
5 June 2026
Many researchers have theorized that melting Ice Age glaciers likely helped passively shift the Altar Stone closer to southern England’s Salisbury Plain around 2500 BCE, shortening the transport distance for Stonehenge’s creators.
—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
4 June 2026
Rather than providing medication, these states are more often choosing to monitor the miscarriage passively instead of intervening.
—
Claire Zillman,
Fortune,
28 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for passively
Adverb
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Sincere meekly hands her a flower from his pocket and sits down, appearing penitent.
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Whether a man chose to use that pistol or meekly give up the money to a robber was up to him.
Adverb
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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.
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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.
Adverb
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If a purchase is needed, compare costs calmly, outline how payment will happen, then set a review date.
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Say something loudly and calmly — don’t shriek!
Adverb
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The waters of a continent – west from the Rockies and east from the Appalachians – pour into it, sometimes violently, sometimes placidly.
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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.
Adverb
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Apparently this campaign died out and for a time the politicians in West Florida slept peacefully.
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Despite the population exploding tenfold each summer, islanders aim to peacefully co-exist with tourists and birds alike.
Adverb
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The quake, which struck during morning rush hour, also mildly shook Tokyo.
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Don’t Worry Darling, a thriller in the vein of The Stepford Wives, caused a media craze, to put it mildly.
Adverb
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The midfielder who plays professionally at nearby Los Angeles FC coolly chested it down and blasted it off the bounce into the bottom corner of Ronwen Williams’ net before sprinting away to celebrate with Canada’s bench in the second minute of second-half stoppage time.
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Ousmane Dembele — France/Paris Saint-Germain (+8) Finally scored his first career goal at a major tournament for France against Iraq, and also pounced upon a terrible defensive mix-up to coolly give Mbappe a tap-in.
Adverb
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Ahead, Toyota team principal Kobayashi ran serenely to the finish in the No 7, even with Frijns’ pass on Buemi increasing the pressure.
-
After 50 minutes of self-satisfaction, the hero fades serenely into a sunset that Dudamel made miraculously mystical.
Cite this Entry
“Passively.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/passively. Accessed 1 Jul. 2026.
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