1
as in cheerfully
in a cheerful or happy manner
happily accepted the invitation to dinner
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in properly
in a manner suitable for the occasion or purpose
one of those rare occasions on which business and pleasure happily mixed
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of happily
After six years of happily ceding the spotlight to higher-profile players like Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns and Julius Randle, McDaniels offered up his commentary as a way of taking the focus off of his teammates and putting it onto his slender shoulders.
—
Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 1 May 2026
Each time, the friends put down their cans of Miller Lite and happily obliged.
—Audrey Pachuta, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026
If any kind of Bo-Sean disconnect deepens, and the Penners don’t pick a side, history will happily do it for them.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 30 Apr. 2026
The Mets will happily flip their calendar to May, coming out of April a league-worst 10-21.
—James O'Connell, New York Daily News, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for happily
Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 1 May 2026
Each time, the friends put down their cans of Miller Lite and happily obliged.
—Audrey Pachuta, Chicago Tribune, 1 May 2026
If any kind of Bo-Sean disconnect deepens, and the Penners don’t pick a side, history will happily do it for them.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 30 Apr. 2026
The Mets will happily flip their calendar to May, coming out of April a league-worst 10-21.
—James O'Connell, New York Daily News, 30 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for happily
Recent Examples of Synonyms for happily
Adverb
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Indeed, Calvin is cheerfully lobotomizing a snowman.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Apr. 2026
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In Atlanta, my hometown airport, cheerfully marketed as the world’s busiest, had descended into organized chaos.—
Bill Barrow,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Mar. 2026
Adverb
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People dispense advice to our heroine of the kind that one encounters in stories properly poised on the cusp of life.—
James Wood,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
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Cook County Public Guardian Charles Golbert, whose staff oversees the cases of more than 600 adults under guardianship and has helped champion the bill, said face-to-face meetings are standard practice in his office prior to appointment and are crucial to properly assessing the person’s needs.—
Christy Gutowski,
Chicago Tribune,
3 May 2026
Adverb
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Having enough calcium helps electrical signals move correctly through the heart.—
Sara Hoffman,
Verywell Health,
6 May 2026
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The company said all of his original claims have been reprocessed and paid correctly.—
Jason Kane,
NBC news,
6 May 2026
Adverb
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In his opinion, and those of some other attorneys he’s talked with, there’s a belief that plea agreements coming from the prosecutor’s office aren’t always being handled appropriately.—
Shelley Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Apr. 2026
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However, used appropriately, the approach has yielded positive results.—
Karen McIntyre,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Happily.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/happily. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
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