: in an idle manner: such as
a
: without much thought, effort or attention
idly staring out the window
idly flipping from one channel to another
Harry … doodled idly on his parchment ignoring Hermione's frequent glares and nudges …—
J. K. Rowling
J. K. Rowling
b
: in a lazy or inactive manner or state
sat with her hands resting idly in her lap
spent the day lying idly on the couch
Barber left London the next day, and for six months sat idly in Addis Ababa waiting for something to happen.—Waverly Root
Waverly Root
c
: without taking any action
"The time has come to speak," she said. "I cannot stand idly by [=do nothing] and see a young man going to perdition!"—P. G. Wodehouse
P. G. Wodehouse… a party who has been wronged by a breach of contract may not unreasonably sit idly by and allow damages to accumulate.—John D. Calamari and Joseph M. Perillo
John D. Calamari and Joseph M. PerilloExamples of idly in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Europe did not sit idly by as Trump regained traction.
—Arancha González Laya, Foreign Affairs, 6 Jan. 2025
This poor girl and thousands of others suffer for no good reason and the world sits idly by and does nothing.
—Megan Feringa, The Athletic, 2 Jan. 2025
Think about how good turning a physical page feels as opposed to idly sliding through your social media feed as the algorithm feeds you an infinite supply of low-quality slop.
—Sally Tamarkin, Them, 23 Dec. 2024
Of course, companies won't sit idly by and let that happen — those costs will likely be passed along to American consumers.
—Emily Peck, Axios, 18 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for idly 
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Arancha González Laya, Foreign Affairs, 6 Jan. 2025
This poor girl and thousands of others suffer for no good reason and the world sits idly by and does nothing.
—Megan Feringa, The Athletic, 2 Jan. 2025
Think about how good turning a physical page feels as opposed to idly sliding through your social media feed as the algorithm feeds you an infinite supply of low-quality slop.
—Sally Tamarkin, Them, 23 Dec. 2024
Of course, companies won't sit idly by and let that happen — those costs will likely be passed along to American consumers.
—Emily Peck, Axios, 18 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for idly
Dictionary Entries Near idly
Cite this Entry
“Idly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/idly. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
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