Definitions
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- In an idle manner; lazily; sluggishly; carelessly; vainly; uselessly; unprofitably; foolishly.
Wiktionary
- adv. In an idle manner.
- adv. Without specific purpose, intent or effort.
GNU Webster's 1913
- adv. In a idle manner; ineffectually; vainly; lazily; carelessly; (Obs.) foolishly.
WordNet 3.0
- adv. in an idle manner
Examples
“But meanwhile -- "She picked up a thick book from the table, read the title idly:"'Secret Memoirs of the Favourites of the French Courts!”
“Meanwhile, I have to make a confession: in idly making my first state assignments, I assumed the easiest pick for Connecticut would be John Cheever: the only trouble would be whether to just include his stories or add a novel or his journals too.”
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“He had used the phrase idly and, although it was possible he might in just as idle a mood commit the act itself, Donaldson was convinced that it was not yet a fixed idea.”
“Come in," I called idly, and the door promptly opened, and to my amazement Miss Morland stood before me.”
“Even a word idly spoken may give rise to thoughts which may grow up and flourish, till they become like a upas tree to destroy all within their influence.”
“Bear witness this my stone house of night that has hidden me, and the wail-circled water of Cocytus, my husband did not, as men say, kill me, looking eagerly to marriage with another; why should Rufinius have an ill name idly? but my predestined Fates lead me away; not surely is”
“Sometimes they are unqualified to gain a maintenance, educated as is called, genteelly, or in other words idly, they are ignorant of every thing that might give them superior abilities to the lower rank of people, and their birth renders them less acceptable servants to many, who have not generosity enough to treat them as they ought, and yet do not choose while they are acting the mistress, perhaps too haughtily, to feel the secret reproaches of their own hearts.”
“I just wanted to grab a scrap of paper that he was kind of idly doodling on.”
“This serves the dual purpose of not melting things next to your notebook (such as idly-placed fingers) and keeping the noise down as the fan noise is emitted from the rear of the unit so is less noticeable.”
“April 17, 2009 at 2: 12 pm as minor investors in this well-made documentary, my wife & i were praying that some would 'idly' switch on their TV & be richly blessed. glad that you watched & enjoyed NC.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘idly’.
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Y
What a -Y does to an otherwise common, dull word
zany, waxy, wavy, arty, chewy, bony, boxy, cozy, nosy, foxy, wiry, junky and 321 more...
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Words from books I've read
These are some words I didn't know when I read and now I want to know!
Scribble, Newfangled, swift, swathe, budget, obstreperous, trickle, rank, covetous, scratch, hunch, dodge and 179 more...
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List of words to expand my vocabulary
does what it says on the tin, and is severely needed.
indolent, insolent, idly, divulge, tattle, benign, roguish, daintily, idle, dowdy, sordid, wanton and 242 more...
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Adverbia
A long list of adverbs, beginning with full-drive. Someone had to list them. This list in continued in the list More Adverbia.
Read some sniping and some informative commentary about a...full-drive, portentously, unlawfully, legally, heterogeneously, consumingly, clancularly, inconsolably, prepositionally, retrogressively, symptomatically, decrepitly and 2460 more...
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Webbie Debbie's
portend... omen.../whats to come
glum plumportend, sotto, azure, idly, glum, morose, sidelong, Mary Blair, rendering, dubious, winsome, humongous and 100 more...
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norrell's Words
hush, dove, euphoria, nebulae, bryn mawr, darling, phoenix, nape, cream, butterscotch, cosmos, frost and 190 more...
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bobodod's Words
cultie, screwery, gauge, wanker, truthiness, harangue, mediocre, ragamuffin, elysian, spoonerism, loquacious, apostle and 240 more...
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Tunie: Secord's Warning
By Tanglefoot.
"Secord's Warning"
by Joe Grant and Steve Ritchie
Come all you brave young soldier lads
With your strong and manly bearing
I'll tell you ...domination, free, guard, stand, station, canadians, usurping, save, dare, yankee, delivered, message and 49 more...
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Michael Critz List
I like words. Mostly so I can use them as weapons.
morgue, devil, agnostic, gaze, cru, tonneaus, idly, ankh, ankle, halon, epode, fumy and 54 more...
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Ye Olde Madras
words from and inspired by Madras, of Ye Olde Times
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Words
Tweets
Looking for tweets for idly.

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