happily

adverb

hap·​pi·​ly ˈha-pə-lē 

1

a

: in a fortunate manner

It was happily the case that Mr. Crawley was not at home.

—Anthony Trollope

b

: as it fortunately happens

Happily, some boyhood pleasures don't change.

—P. A. Witteman

2

archaic : by chance

3

a

: in a happy manner or state

happily married

… was happily shoveling a plate of ackee … into his mouth …

—Zadie Smith

b

: in a very willing way

happily postponed the appointment

4

: in an adequate or fitting manner : successfully

Synonyms of happily

• cheerfully

Examples of happily in a Sentence

They have been happily married for 12 years.

They lived happily ever after.

We happily accept credit cards.

Recent Examples on the Web

And happily, the trend has followed — luxury retail is embracing these kinds of experiential, behind-the-scenes, second-floor, destination-style environments more broadly. —Thomas Waller, Footwear News, 14 Nov. 2025

According to Garza-Harris, Nacho has since been renamed Rogelio Montoya, inspired by The Princess Bride character Inigo Montoya, and living happily with his new Spanish-speaking family in Seattle. —Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 13 Nov. 2025

According to Jensen, the mix-up began after Bailey had spent time happily fetching his own ball in the sea. —Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Nov. 2025

With the royal charter expiring in 2027, its management might have been optimistic that the BBC-friendly Labour government of Keir Starmer would happily renew it for another decade. —Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 11 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing happily

• lived happily ever after
• live happily ever after

Rhymes for happily

• unhappily

Kids Definition

happily

adverb

hap·​pi·​ly ˈhap-ə-lē 

1

: in a fortunate or lucky manner

happily, no one was injured

2

: in a happy manner or state

lived happily ever after

3

: in a fitting, effective, or successful manner

remarks happily worded