thankfully

adverb

thank·​ful·​ly ˈthaŋk-f(ə-)lē How to pronounce thankfully (audio)
1
: in a thankful manner
spoke thankfully
2
: as makes one thankful
graceless stadiums … thankfully going out of fashionR. G. Echevarriá
thankfully, those opinions are advanced with graceful proseKen Auletta

Example Sentences

The instructions were thankfully simple. I always receive your calls thankfully.
Recent Examples on the Web The latter was stopped for several minutes while festival security searched for a missing teenage fan (she was thankfully found). Jonathan Cohen, SPIN, 29 May 2023 The 30 miles of road winding up to the pass were thankfully closed to motor vehicles due to winter road damage, but bikes were allowed. Ray Hanley, Arkansas Online, 29 May 2023 And thankfully, there is some regulation on the way. Quartz Staff, Quartz, 26 May 2023 The film is always on the verge of explaining itself, but thankfully never does. Vulture, 26 May 2023 This interview, recorded at the peak of the awful NFT trend that has thankfully withered away to a shell of its 2022 self, is the epitome of robotic celebrity product promotion. Jacob Linden, Men's Health, 25 May 2023 As usual, Butler brings a convincing humanity and vulnerability to his action movie heroics, thankfully avoiding the over-the-top machismo of such predecessors in the genre as Stallone and Schwarzenegger. Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 May 2023 But thankfully, advancements in fabric tech have started to give menstruators more freedom. Isabella Ubaldi, Health, 24 May 2023 The new climate-control panel thankfully keeps some physical toggle switches for distraction-free adjustments. Mark Takahashi, Car and Driver, 16 May 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'thankfully.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of thankfully was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near thankfully

Cite this Entry

“Thankfully.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thankfully. Accessed 2 Jun. 2023.

More from Merriam-Webster on thankfully

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!