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
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
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
-
As real trees begin to bloom outside, photographer Widline Cadet picks through two playfully oversized bouquets of positively unnatural plastic flowers.—
Elly Fishman,
Vogue,
8 May 2026
-
Gender-diverse teams have been shown to contribute positively to collaboration and interpersonal communication across professional settings, including in health care teams.—
Nicholas A. Giordano,
STAT,
8 May 2026
Adverb
-
Warren was the only one of the five candidates who finished with the highest number of voters viewing her both favorably and unfavorably.—
Tim Dunn,
Boston Herald,
8 May 2026
-
The land Miami Dade College and the state of Florida gave to Trump’s foundation for the project is favorably zoned for development, and would likely require few, if any, additional zoning changes or approvals to build a skyscraper on site.—
Claire Heddles,
Miami Herald,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Approvingly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/approvingly. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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