as in cheerfully
in a cheerful or happy manner
our coworker merrily announced that it was her birthday, so we felt obligated to treat her to lunch
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Recent Examples of merrily
For most of the show, Bad Bunny had been mugging merrily to the camera, flaring his eyes and making hammy gestures to illustrate his words.
—
Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 9 Feb. 2026
Humans certainly aren’t going anywhere, so who’s to say that the mosquitoes won’t just keep feeding merrily on us regardless?
—Tom Hawking, Popular Science, 15 Jan. 2026
Commerce market editor Kate McGregor noted in her review that the tree did give off a fuller look, and was especially handsome once decked out with a merrily maximalist slate of ornaments from some of our favorite holiday hubs.
—Nashia Baker, Architectural Digest, 22 Dec. 2025
My longtime friend Jim saw that salsa passion as a humorous route to merrily tease me and amuse our friends at an annual holiday party where friends have long become family.
—Lee Michael Katz, USA Today, 20 Dec. 2025
Of course, both beverages are merrily garnished.
—Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 20 Nov. 2025
The Billboard Holiday Countdown unwraps musical gifts from evergreen stars including Bobby Helms, Burl Ives, Dean Martin, Elvis Presley and Andy Williams mixing merrily with hits by the likes of Justin Bieber, Mariah Carey, Kelly Clarkson, Ariana Grande and Pentatonix.
—Gary Trust, Billboard, 6 Nov. 2025
The combination of flavors in this pie is blissful, the sweetness of the apples merrily dancing with the tart edge of the cranberries.
—Cathy Thomas, Oc Register, 13 Oct. 2025
Daniels after both of his TDs sought out the TV cameras just outside the end zone and merrily mocked FSU’s famous war chant, an echo of the swagger of Canes teams past.
—Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2025
Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 9 Feb. 2026
Humans certainly aren’t going anywhere, so who’s to say that the mosquitoes won’t just keep feeding merrily on us regardless?
—Tom Hawking, Popular Science, 15 Jan. 2026
Commerce market editor Kate McGregor noted in her review that the tree did give off a fuller look, and was especially handsome once decked out with a merrily maximalist slate of ornaments from some of our favorite holiday hubs.
—Nashia Baker, Architectural Digest, 22 Dec. 2025
My longtime friend Jim saw that salsa passion as a humorous route to merrily tease me and amuse our friends at an annual holiday party where friends have long become family.
—Lee Michael Katz, USA Today, 20 Dec. 2025
Of course, both beverages are merrily garnished.
—Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 20 Nov. 2025
The Billboard Holiday Countdown unwraps musical gifts from evergreen stars including Bobby Helms, Burl Ives, Dean Martin, Elvis Presley and Andy Williams mixing merrily with hits by the likes of Justin Bieber, Mariah Carey, Kelly Clarkson, Ariana Grande and Pentatonix.
—Gary Trust, Billboard, 6 Nov. 2025
The combination of flavors in this pie is blissful, the sweetness of the apples merrily dancing with the tart edge of the cranberries.
—Cathy Thomas, Oc Register, 13 Oct. 2025
Daniels after both of his TDs sought out the TV cameras just outside the end zone and merrily mocked FSU’s famous war chant, an echo of the swagger of Canes teams past.
—Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for merrily
Adverb
-
So far, Mamdani has cheerfully brushed aside these cartoon-villain allegations, announcing an ambitious universal-childcare plan and holding an adorable press conference with constituents in the under-five demographic.—
Jessica Winter,
New Yorker,
13 Feb. 2026
-
That request was made 10 years ago and was cheerfully accommodated.—
Judith Martin,
Mercury News,
11 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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Andrew happily waved to onlookers while on the Buckingham Palace balcony at the 1962 Trooping the Colour ceremony.—
Lori A Bashian,
FOXNews.com,
20 Feb. 2026
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Soft, catnip‑stuffed toys that keep indoor cats active, engaged and happily entertained.—
Kasey Caminiti,
USA Today,
20 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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Adding a rinse aid will allow glassware to shine more brightly after going through the dishwasher.—
Taylor Tobin,
Southern Living,
13 Feb. 2026
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For the director, the most important improvement came to the opening credits, which feature white text on a stark white background, as brightly colored breakfast cereal cascades in slow motion onto a boy’s upturned face.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Merrily.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/merrily. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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