as in positively
in an approving manner
she smiled approvingly at the child who was performing onstage
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of approvingly
Crosby, who has won nearly every NHL award there is to win except for a Lady Byng Trophy, stood a few feet away, looking on approvingly before joining the scrum.
—
Josh Yohe, New York Times, 27 May 2026
In the past, when tech companies laid off employees, the markets reacted approvingly.
—Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 24 Apr. 2026
The Queen smiled approvingly at Charles and his new bride, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall (now Queen Camilla).
—Alex Apatoff, PEOPLE, 21 Apr. 2026
Pynchon is clearly a huge fan of detective fiction and quotes approvingly from the genre while not quite wanting to immerse himself fully within it.
—Literary Hub, 10 Dec. 2025
Rotwood approvingly sees no such sentimentality in Wednesday.
—Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2025
Behind you, the fountain burbles approvingly.
—Mackenzie Chung Fegan, San Francisco Chronicle, 20 June 2024
Josh Yohe, New York Times, 27 May 2026
In the past, when tech companies laid off employees, the markets reacted approvingly.
—Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 24 Apr. 2026
The Queen smiled approvingly at Charles and his new bride, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall (now Queen Camilla).
—Alex Apatoff, PEOPLE, 21 Apr. 2026
Pynchon is clearly a huge fan of detective fiction and quotes approvingly from the genre while not quite wanting to immerse himself fully within it.
—Literary Hub, 10 Dec. 2025
Rotwood approvingly sees no such sentimentality in Wednesday.
—Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2025
Behind you, the fountain burbles approvingly.
—Mackenzie Chung Fegan, San Francisco Chronicle, 20 June 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for approvingly
Adverb
-
The governor positively swoons over all these residents.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
7 June 2026
-
Police said O'Flaherty was positively identified as the suspect responsible for the Wheeler Road break-in and was arrested by the Mashpee Police Department.—
Tammy Mutasa,
CBS News,
6 June 2026
Adverb
-
According to the poll, 38% of Texans view Paxton favorably.—
Mateo Rosiles,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
-
Unsurprisingly, responders perceived the AI using company less favorably, indicating strong AI content aversion.—
Melissa A. Wheeler,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Approvingly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/approvingly. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
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