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

Design aside, Big Cedar Lodge is the kind of place where families, fishermen, golfers, couples, C-suite execs, wellness enthusiasts, wedding parties, and the odd celebrity all happily cross paths. —T.j. Olwig, Travel + Leisure, 26 Dec. 2025

Their data found hundreds of armadillos happily digging up gardens as far north as Indiana and as far east as North Carolina. —Maggie Koerth, CNN Money, 25 Dec. 2025

Man-su and Mi-ri are more happily married, but months of unemployment and multiple homicides take their toll, excavating old resentments and failures, including Man-su’s past struggles with alcoholism. —Justin Chang, New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2025

Yoshida happily snapped a photo of Watkins sliding down the hill. —Jeff Wagner, CBS News, 23 Dec. 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