happily

adverb

hap·​pi·​ly ˈha-pə-lē 

1

a

: in a fortunate manner

b

: as it fortunately happens

happily, some boyhood pleasures don't change

—P. A. Witteman

2

archaic : by chance

3

: in a happy manner or state

4

: in an adequate or fitting manner : successfully

Synonyms

• 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

Pair it with strict CI and the bot happily triages small bugs nightly. —Ron Schmelzer, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2025

He’s retired, happily married and financially comfortable. —Sophie Levenson, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2025

The musician and band sang lyrics of the song back and forth on the Lollapalooza stage, with Carpenter happily dancing along to both of their tracks and encouraging the crowd to sing along with them. —Mckinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 4 Aug. 2025

Benjamin happily clung to his dad as the pair walked through some chilly New England weather back in 2018. —Stephanie Sengwe, People.com, 3 Aug. 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