feebly

adverb

Definition of feeblynext
as in quietly

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of feebly By the time Robyn joins the conversation, her bestie is on the ropes, feebly trying to insist that the entire matter is a misunderstanding. — Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 26 Oct. 2026 The prime minister has feebly tried to make his own reels in response, but that failed to stem the tide of public irreverence. — Pratap Bhanu Mehta, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2026 Chief swam feebly across, joined the other two horses on the bank, and stood there shaking. — Dolores Brown, Outdoor Life, 17 June 2026 Judge lined it feebly into the glove of an outfielder. — Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 17 May 2026 Infantino, as Henry Bushnell writes, talked rather feebly about working together and, randomly, said an upcoming under-15 tournament for all member associations was something to encourage co-operation. — Phil Hay, New York Times, 1 May 2026 Heathcliff’s racial ambiguity — so central to the novel’s violence and otherness — is feebly erased. — Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 11 Feb. 2026 One man aboard the boat knew how to navigate the mangroves and sandbars of the keys, and with the late summer sun beating down on the rafters, the boat pushed out feebly into the open ocean. — Miriam Pensack, The Dial, 30 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for feebly
  1. quietly
  2. faintly
  3. softly
  4. noiselessly
Adverb
  • Some Virginia universities have quietly been taking steps to provide scholarships to descendants, as required under a 2021 state law.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Opening quietly in 880 North American theaters from Sony Pictures is Taika Waititi‘s Klara and the Sun, which made $300,000 and heads to around $725,000 for the weekend.
    — Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of quietly
Adverb
  • This is a subject far older than this Lean-In-era epiphany, yet New Stanford stops short at gesturing faintly in the direction of conversations that could theoretically be had.
    — Judy Berman, Time, 21 Oct. 2026
  • For a generation of children only faintly aware of Led Zeppelin, but intimately aware of every second of Wayne’s World thanks to countless repeat viewings, this was extraordinarily confusing.
    — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of faintly
Adverb
  • The Tesla soon launched itself from its position beneath the ramp's nearly horizontal ledge, executed a barrel roll in midair, and landed softly, all thanks to its SpaceX cold-gas thrusters.
    — Mike Wall, Space.com, 16 Oct. 2026
  • His solo debut, Heavy Metal, landed softly in the December hinterlands of 2024, and with it a murmuration of these little fibs.
    — Walden Green, Pitchfork, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of softly
Adverb
  • Small branches can be clipped quickly and almost noiselessly and fashioned into an effective blind in only a few minutes.
    — Bruce Brady, Outdoor Life, 8 Apr. 2026
  • On a brilliant midsummer morning, my wife and I stepped into a black Zodiac raft and drifted noiselessly among icebergs five stories high, their emerald and aquamarine walls gleaming above sapphire waters.
    — Pico Iyer, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Apr. 2025
Definition of noiselessly

Browse Nearby Words

feebleness
feebly
feed
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Feebly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/feebly. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All