idly
/ˈaɪd(ə)lɪ/ adverb
Forms idlies idlely idlily
- adverb Without specific purpose, intent or effort. [from 9th c.] “I idly played with the paper, not even realizing I was folding it into a paper airplane.”
- adverb In an idle manner. [from 14th c.]
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English idely, ydelly, idelliche, from Old English īdellīċe, equivalent to idle + -ly.
From Tamil இட்லி (iṭli), Kannada ಇಡ್ಲಿ (iḍli).
Webster’s 1913
- adverb In a idle manner; ineffectually; vainly; lazily; carelessly; (Obs.) foolishly.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “idly”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details