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

Additionally, the best activists — like Loeb — have activism in their blood and cannot morally stand idly by while management harms shareholders. —Kenneth Squire, CNBC, 1 Feb. 2025

Laverne Cox was all smiles before Sunday’s Emmy Awards, idly chatting up icons including Billy Crystal, Reba McEntire and Jodie Foster on the red carpet. —Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 16 Sep. 2024

Still, his threats are not taken idly by Panamanians who consider the canal to be central to their national identity and depend on lucrative canal traffic. —Patrick Oppmann, CNN, 20 Jan. 2025

Famously grumpy, Newton probably didn't come up with his theory of gravity from idly sitting and daydreaming beneath a tree while an apple fell on his head, as the old story goes. —Keith Cooper, Space.com, 13 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing idly

• sit idly by
• stand idly by