idly

ˈɪdli

Definition

Definition of idly - Reverso English Dictionary

Adverb

lack of purposewithout any particular purpose or effort

She gazed idly out the window..

aimlessly

listlessly

purposelessly

inactive mannerin a manner showing inactivity

He sat idly by the fire.

lazily

lethargically

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Expressions with idly

💡 Discover popular phrases, idioms, collocations, or phrasal verbs. Click any expression to learn more, listen to its pronunciation, or save it to your favorites.

sit idly by

remain present without taking action

She watched the chaos but chose to sit idly by.

stand idly by

remain passive and do nothing in a situation

He chose to stand idly by during the argument.

Origin of idly

Old English, īdel (empty, vain) + ly (adverbial suffix)

Terms with idly included in their meaning

💡 A powerful way to uncover related words, idioms, and expressions linked by the same idea — and explore meaning beyond exact word matches.

fiddle

nervousness

fidget or play idly with something

laze around

general idleness

spend time idly or without purpose

lounge

idle time

spend time idly in a place

flick

reading

read or look at quickly or idly

lounge about

general use

spend time idly or lazily

rattle

communication

talk rapidly and idly

riffle

actions

idly manipulate objects with fingers

rot away

unproductive time

spend time unproductively or idly

Examples of idly in a sentence

They wandered idly through the park on a sunny day.
She watched the clouds idly float by.
The workers stood idly during the break.

View all translations of idly

✨Click below to see the appropriate translations facing each meaning.

French:nonchalamment, inactif, ...
German:müßig, träge, ...
Italian:oziosamente, pigramente, ...
Spanish:ociosamente, inactivamente, ...
Portuguese:ociosamente, sem fazer nada, ...
Chinese:漫不经心地, 闲散地, ...
Japanese:ぼんやり, ぼんやりと, ...
Arabic:بلا هدف, بِخُمُول, ...
Hebrew:בְּבַטָּלָה, בְּחוֹסֶר מַעֲשֶׂה, ...
Russian:бесцельно, лениво, ...
Ukrainian:байдуже, бездіяльно, ...
Hindi:यूँ ही, अक्रियता से, ...
Bengali:অন্যমনস্কভাবে, নিষ্ক্রিয়ভাবে, ...
Catalan:distretament, sense fer res, ...
Czech:bezcílně, zahálčivě, ...
Danish:formålsløst, passivt, ...
Dutch:doelloos, nietsdoend, ...
Greek:αφηρημένα, αδρανής, ...
Hungarian:céltalanul, dologtalanul, ...
Khmer:ដោយឥតគោលបំណង, ដោយទំនេរ, ...
Korean:무심코, 멍하니, ...
Persian:بی‌هدف, بیکار, ...
Polish:bez celu, ...
Portuguese (BR):ociosamente, sem fazer nada, ...
Romanian:fără scop, inactiv, ...
Swedish:slött, overksam, ...
Thai:อย่างเหม่อลอย, เฉยๆ, ...
Turkish:amaçsızca, tembelce, ...
Vietnamese:lơ đãng, lười biếng, ...

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