meekly

[ meek-lee ]

adverb

1. in a humbly patient or quiet manner:

   When addressing a lawyer during oral arguments, the judge often starts meekly with, "Counsel, may I interrupt?"

2. in an overly submissive or compliant manner:

   Not knowing what we were getting into, we meekly agreed.

Other Words From

• o·ver·meek·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of meekly¹

meek ( def ) + -ly

Example Sentences

“I am not a heroine of some old story. I cannot hold the knife,” she says meekly.

From New York Times

By the same token, if an institution with more firepower than any entity on earth meekly submits to threats that are thus far hypothetical, how would it act if Trump were actually in power?

From Salon

On the day he resigned as first minister he talked of "the energised activism of tens of thousands of people who I predict will refuse to meekly go back into the political shadows".

From BBC

They didn’t act mad, meekly banging out six hits against five Padres pitchers and not scoring after the third inning.

From Los Angeles Times

Ventura, standing confidently at the center of the painting and staring directly at the viewer, possesses a beard surpassing that of her husband, who appears meekly behind her.

From Salon

Related Words

• delicately
• indifferently
• lightly
• moderately
• quietly