quietly — OET

quietly

adverb

1 she quietly absorbed the lovely surroundings:

silently, in silence, noiselessly, soundlessly, inaudibly;

mutely, dumbly, tacitly;

literary stilly.

2 he spoke quietly so as not to disturb anyone:

softly, making little noise, in a low voice, in low/hushed/muted/subdued tones, in a whisper/murmur/mumble, murmuringly, under one's breath, in an undertone, sotto voce, gently, faintly, weakly, feebly.

▷antonyms loudly, audibly.

3 some bonds were sold quietly to Club members:

discreetly, privately, confidentially, secretly, unofficially, off the record, between ourselves, between you and me (and the bedpost/gatepost/doorpost/wall).

▷antonyms publicly.

4 Mrs Wilson dressed quietly in grey or black:

unobtrusively, unostentatiously, unpretentiously, with restraint, with reserve, conservatively, soberly, modestly, demurely, plainly.

▷antonyms loudly.

5 she is quietly confident:

calmly, patiently, placidly, serenely, undemonstratively, unemotionally, unassumingly.

quietly Oxford Dictionary of English