idly

adverb

ˈī-dᵊl-ē 

ˈīd-lē

: 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

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

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

… 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

Examples of idly in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And upon seeing his high school friends getting caught up in it, Jamie can no longer sit idly behind a desk. —Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Dec. 2024

The club, which features North America’s first Endless Surf wave basin, is aimed at the millennial jet set and their families, who are more focused on wellness and adventure than sitting idly by the pool, cocktail in hand. —Brooke Seipel, Fortune, 4 Dec. 2024

Addressing the fight and his players' behavior in a post-game press conference, OSU head coach Ryan Day said his team has too much pride to sit idly by as Michigan marks the territory. —Bailey Richards, People.com, 30 Nov. 2024

Solving For Success Today’s CFOs can’t sit idly by, waiting for the IT department to deliver trustworthy data. —Melanie Payne, Forbes, 25 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing idly

• sit idly by
• stand idly by