sat idly by
Did nothing useful
To sit idly by is to remain passive while something happens that calls for action or intervention.
The phrase carries implicit criticism—whoever sat idly by should have done something: She sat idly by while her colleagues were laid off.
The past tense appears most often because the inaction is typically recognized in hindsight.
- complicityShared criminal involvement
- negligenceFailure to exercise care
- repercussionsIndirect results of actions
- apathyAbsence of feeling
- guiltMoral self-reproach
culpability · shame · disengagement · omission · indifference · conscience · stood by · bystander · injustice · inertia · blame · accountability · opportunity · regret · turning a blind eye · looked the other way · escalation · harm
sat idly bytook action
Responded with effort
stepped up · intervened · got involved · stepped in · acted
sat idly bystepped in
interceded · stood up · spoke out · took a stand · rose to the occasion