1
as in cheerfully
in a cheerful or happy manner
happily accepted the invitation to dinner
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of happily
While larger keys result in a larger device, most users happily sacrifice an extra inch or two of desk space to get a more user-friendly machine.
—
Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 13 May 2026
Monroe rocked up with her partner Dalton Gomez who boasts movie star good looks, but happily works in the real estate world.
—Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 13 May 2026
Robert Read said his 12-year-old son, Theodore, who earned a black belt just before Christmas, is happily following Blanck to the new dojo.
—Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026
The couple, who wore coordinating black and white outfits, happily hugged and kissed on the beach in the second and third shots.
—Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 12 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for happily
Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 13 May 2026
Monroe rocked up with her partner Dalton Gomez who boasts movie star good looks, but happily works in the real estate world.
—Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 13 May 2026
Robert Read said his 12-year-old son, Theodore, who earned a black belt just before Christmas, is happily following Blanck to the new dojo.
—Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026
The couple, who wore coordinating black and white outfits, happily hugged and kissed on the beach in the second and third shots.
—Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 12 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for happily
Recent Examples of Synonyms for happily
Adverb
-
Indeed, Calvin is cheerfully lobotomizing a snowman.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Apr. 2026
-
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
-
Slices of cold roast beef, beautiful and rare, come attended by a snowy blob of properly sinus-clearing horseradish cream, with a pickled black walnut on top like the cherry on a sundae and a crumbly wedge of cheddar.—
Helen Rosner,
New Yorker,
17 May 2026
-
Slot is a good communicator who tries to properly answer every question, slipping in the occasional attempt at humour.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
Adverb
-
Finally, a third report authored by John Commons and wealthy suffrage activist Florence Harriman argued—correctly—that Manly’s group wanted unions to be engaged in mass politics rather than just workplace negotiations.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 May 2026
-
Advertisement Not one of these 220 recessions was correctly predicted in an April forecast, and the October forecasts, which had access to six months of real-world data, only got it right about half the time.—
Simone Stolzoff,
Time,
12 May 2026
Adverb
-
The building is full of character, having at turns been home to a book press, bank, and, most appropriately, the founding headquarters of the Danish Spirit Producers.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
12 May 2026
-
Little Compton, Rhode Island East of Newport and west of Cape Cod is a blip of a town (population around 3,600) appropriately named Little Compton.—
Amy Thomas,
Travel + Leisure,
12 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Happily.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/happily. Accessed 19 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
