1
a
: in a fortunate manner
It was happily the case that Mr. Crawley was not at home.—
Anthony Trollope
Anthony Trollope
b
: as it fortunately happens
Happily, some boyhood pleasures don't change.—P. A. Witteman
P. A. Witteman2
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
Zadie Smith
b
: in a very willing way
happily postponed the appointment
4
: in an adequate or fitting manner : successfully
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
The cozy indoor Shadow Bar features high-end champagne with an upcharge, but servers happily pour complimentary Monopole, too.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Apr. 2026
Certain strains of the bacteria have figured out how to live happily in the kidneys of apparently healthy animals, including wildlife (such as rodents, raccoons, marine mammals and skunks, but also reptiles and amphibians) and domestic animals (such as cattle, pigs, horses, even dogs and cats).
—The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2026
In a corner of the room, people happily took pictures in a photo booth.
—Michael Butler, Miami Herald, 13 Apr. 2026
Former All-Pro New York Giants running back Tiki Barber happily joins the New Jersey Lottery to host the return of the New Jersey Lottery Rock Paper Scissors Throwdown on April 10.
—Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 12 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for happily
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Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Apr. 2026
Certain strains of the bacteria have figured out how to live happily in the kidneys of apparently healthy animals, including wildlife (such as rodents, raccoons, marine mammals and skunks, but also reptiles and amphibians) and domestic animals (such as cattle, pigs, horses, even dogs and cats).
—The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2026
In a corner of the room, people happily took pictures in a photo booth.
—Michael Butler, Miami Herald, 13 Apr. 2026
Former All-Pro New York Giants running back Tiki Barber happily joins the New Jersey Lottery to host the return of the New Jersey Lottery Rock Paper Scissors Throwdown on April 10.
—Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 12 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for happily
Cite this Entry
“Happily.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/happily. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids 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
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