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quietly

/ˈkwaɪɪtli/

/ˈkwaɪɛtli/

IPA guide

Doing anything quietly means doing it while making very little noise. When you sneak down to the kitchen for that last piece of pie, you should tiptoe quietly past the rooms of your sleeping siblings.

If the librarian frowns at you, puts a finger to his lips, and says "Shhhh!", it means he would like you to speak more quietly while you're in the library. Use this adverb for anything you do in a soft, hushed, or faint way. Whisper quietly when you don't want to be overheard, and chew your food quietly unless you really want to irritate your brother.

Definitions of quietly
  1. adverb
    with low volume
    “she spoke quietly to the child”
    synonyms: softly
    see moresee less
    antonyms:
    aloud, loud, loudly
    with relatively high volume
  2. adverb
    with little or no sound
    “the class was listening quietly and intently”
    “she was crying quietly
    see moresee less
    antonyms:
    noisily
    with much noise or loud and unpleasant sound
  3. adverb
    with little or no activity or no agitation (`quiet' is a nonstandard variant for `quietly')
    “her hands rested quietly in her lap”
    “the rock star was quietly led out the back door”
    synonyms: quiet
    see moresee less
    antonyms:
    unquietly
    with agitation or turbulence
  4. adverb
    in a restful manner
    synonyms: restfully
Pronunciation
US

/ˈkwaɪɪtli/

UK

/ˈkwaɪɛtli/

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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘quietly'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
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