quietly

What it means

1. Producing little or no noise.

   When Timothy and Julia hurried up the staircase to the bedroom floor, where a considerable commotion was taking place, Tim took Barry Leach with him.[…]. The captive made no resistance and came not only quietly but in a series of eager little rushes like a timid dog on a choke chain.

   1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 19, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC

   Antonyms: loudly

2. Without attracting attention.

   "Since hypertension doesn't usually cause symptoms, it flies below the radar, quietly damaging the vessels that deliver blood to your body and brain and increasing your risk of being blindsided by a heart attack or stroke."

   2026, Ginny Graves, quoting Rishi K. Wadhera, “The Most Important Health Metric You're Not Tracking”, in Men's Health, volume 41, number 2, page 18

In a sentence

When Timothy and Julia hurried up the staircase to the bedroom floor, where a considerable commotion was taking place, Tim took Barry Leach with him.[…]. The captive made no resistance and came not only quietly but in a series of eager little rushes like a timid dog on a choke chain.

1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 19, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC

Where it comes from

1. Middle Englishquietely
2. Englishquietly

From Middle English quietely, quyetly, equivalent to quiet + -ly.