as in laughingly
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Recent Examples of lightheartedly
The idea of replacing caddies with animals, lightheartedly suggested by moderator Eben Novy-Williams?
—
Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 4 Nov. 2025
Paltzik did not confirm the authenticity of the message but still suggested they were made lightheartedly.
—Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 21 Oct. 2025
Shopkeepers lightheartedly gossip in rich drawling accents, and pickup trucks make up the majority of the vehicles idling at one of the few stoplights in town.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 13 Oct. 2025
The show is informed, lightheartedly, by this feeling.
—Brandon Yu, San Francisco Chronicle, 26 June 2020
Of course, Swift’s recent engagement to Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce was a hot topic, offering a look at what seems to be their playful relationship with one another with Swift lightheartedly poking fun at her now fiancé.
—Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 4 Nov. 2025
Paltzik did not confirm the authenticity of the message but still suggested they were made lightheartedly.
—Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 21 Oct. 2025
Shopkeepers lightheartedly gossip in rich drawling accents, and pickup trucks make up the majority of the vehicles idling at one of the few stoplights in town.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 13 Oct. 2025
The show is informed, lightheartedly, by this feeling.
—Brandon Yu, San Francisco Chronicle, 26 June 2020
Of course, Swift’s recent engagement to Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce was a hot topic, offering a look at what seems to be their playful relationship with one another with Swift lightheartedly poking fun at her now fiancé.
—Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lightheartedly
Adverb
-
Kipnis describes her own mother laughingly recalling a college professor chasing her around a desk and trying to kiss her.—
S. C. Cornell,
New Yorker,
5 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
One thinks of the citizens of Buffy’s Sunnydale, blithely going about their business, not moving away despite being located on a Hellmouth.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Any unwanted fact or unpleasant experience is swiftly erased by the sheep’s wilfully short memories — only veteran merino Mopple (Chris O’Dowd) is unable to share in this collective spotless mind, carrying the knowledge that his cohorts have blithely shed.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
27 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Not exactly a breezily escapist tale of party-girl antics, this is more of a dystopian novel about the inevitable tech-apocalypse, told through the story of a family on vacation from Brooklyn.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 Feb. 2026
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The comedians Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang breezily observed on a podcast last month that donating to Crockett is a waste of money.—
Jonathan Chait,
The Atlantic,
5 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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Andy reunites with Nigel Kipling (Tucci), Miranda’s close confidant who’s as kind and joyfully caustic as ever, and also Emily Charlton (Blunt), Andy’s frenemy from the first film, who has traded in magazines for retail because that’s where the money is now.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
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Safe Haven, by Shencheng Xu, is a 10-foot tall steel sculpture that depicts three children joyfully playing beneath a tree, amidst some animals.—
Melinda Moore,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
What follows is pure dance, a joyously propulsive, non-stop sequence of duets, trios, ensemble dances.—
Jennifer Homans,
New Yorker,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Continuously, some view it more joyously while others see it as a sad event.—
Marina Johnson,
Louisville Courier Journal,
22 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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He would, however, be gladly welcomed there, in strict compliance with the rules of the sanctuary, where no physical interaction between humans and great apes is allowed.—
Blanche Marcel,
Vanity Fair,
30 Apr. 2026
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The other women gladly step up to the plate, but that doesn’t stop them from using the moments leading up to the give-back as an opportunity to further gossip about Pinky’s dietary choices.—
Ile-Ife Okantah,
Vulture,
27 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
The show followed an exuberantly wealthy family who became penniless overnight after falling victim to fraud.—
Jack Dunn,
Variety,
5 Apr. 2026
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That’s a nod to another tradition that’s perhaps most exuberantly followed in the colonial city of Antigua, Guatemala, where miles of these carpets are created for Holy Week — twice on Good Friday.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
1 Apr. 2026
Adverb
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Trump, meanwhile, giddily celebrated the censorship.—
Marlow Stern,
Variety,
1 May 2026
-
When not giddily tearing apart the rom-com – a key conversation between Charlie and Emma happens in the trope-iest of cinematic eateries, a diner – Borgli asks really major thematic questions with his controversial subject matter.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lightheartedly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lightheartedly. Accessed 4 May. 2026.
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