bystanding

English

Etymology

From by +‎ standing.

Adjective

bystanding (not comparable)

1. Standing nearby; having the role of bystander.

Noun

bystanding (uncountable)

1. The state of being a bystander.
   • 1932, Francis John McConnell, Aids to Christian Belief, New York, N.Y., Cincinnati, Oh., Chicago, Ill.: The Abingdon Press, page 108:

     The woes of the world call forth the loudest outcries from the bystanders. Bystanding is not the closest possible adjustment to the universe.

   • 2013, Rosalind Wiseman, Masterminds & Wingmen: Helping Our Boys Cope with Schoolyard Power, Locker-Room Tests, Girlfriends, and the New Rules of Boy World, New York, N.Y.: Harmony Books, →ISBN, page 201:

     Adults love to talk about the importance of bystanders in stopping social cruelty. But bystanding is really complicated, and when we encourage our children to do it we rarely think about whether we're willing and able to do it ourselves.

   • 2015, Stephen Fineman, The Blame Business: The Uses and Misuses of Accountability, London: Reaktion Books, →ISBN, page 26:

     Bystanding is not confined to one-off incidents: whole populations stand by while others suffer or are persecuted.

Anagrams

• standbying, standing by