Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • In a quiet state or manner.
  • Without tumult, alarm, dispute, or disturbance; peaceably: as, to live quietly.
  • Calmly; tranquilly; without agitation or violent emotion; patiently.
  • In a manner to attract little or no observation; without noise: as, he quietly left the room.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adverb In a quiet state or manner; without motion; in a state of rest.
  • adverb Without tumult, alarm, dispute, or disturbance; peaceably
  • adverb Calmly, without agitation or violent emotion; patiently.
  • adverb Noiselessly; silently; without remark or violent movement; in a manner to attract little or no observation.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adverb In a quiet manner.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adverb with little or no sound
  • adverb with little or no activity or no agitation (`quiet' is a nonstandard variant for `quietly')
  • adverb in a restful manner
  • adverb with low volume

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

quiet +‎ -ly

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Examples

  • Donovan passed the word quietly to selected officers in the field: Destroy any embarrassing documents, such as currency transactions in fast-moving operations where corners had to be cut.

    Wild Bill Donovan Douglas Waller 2011

  • I call his name quietly at first, but he's unresponsive.

    Turbulence Lynn Beighley 2011

  • Donovan passed the word quietly to selected officers in the field: Destroy any embarrassing documents, such as currency transactions in fast-moving operations where corners had to be cut.

    Wild Bill Donovan Douglas Waller 2011

  • Then, they can hope that he'll serve out his term quietly, giving them a chance to make the Illinois electorate forget about the Blagojevich mess before he leaves.

    Burris and Bunning: The Immovable Clowns of the Senate 2009

  • Then, they can hope that he'll serve out his term quietly, giving them a chance to make the Illinois electorate forget about the Blagojevich mess before he leaves.

    Burris and Bunning: The Immovable Clowns of the Senate 2009

  • It would be better all round, she decided, to return the label quietly, so that no one knew where it had come from.

    The Thief Taker Janet Gleeson 2004

  • It would be better all round, she decided, to return the label quietly, so that no one knew where it had come from.

    The Thief Taker Janet Gleeson 2004

  • It would be better all round, she decided, to return the label quietly, so that no one knew where it had come from.

    The Thief Taker Janet Gleeson 2004

  • It would be better all round, she decided, to return the label quietly, so that no one knew where it had come from.

    The Thief Taker Janet Gleeson 2004

  • It would be better all round, she decided, to return the label quietly, so that no one knew where it had come from.

    The Thief Taker Janet Gleeson 2004

Comments

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  • sshhh. a word is asleep here.

    April 30, 2008