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
Most of the town’s residents, and many visitors, merrily took part, while the more prudent ones enjoyed the show from the safety of their balconies.
—
ABC News, 23 Feb. 2026
White’s jaunty editing ensures the proceedings roll merrily along, and yet the richness of detail in every frame makes this feel longer than its lean 71-minute running time, but not at all in a negative way.
—Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 20 Feb. 2026
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
ABC News, 23 Feb. 2026
White’s jaunty editing ensures the proceedings roll merrily along, and yet the richness of detail in every frame makes this feel longer than its lean 71-minute running time, but not at all in a negative way.
—Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 20 Feb. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for merrily
Adverb
-
Netflix’s Ted Sarandos likewise ripped Cameron, but Sarandos would still cheerfully kill to acquire a single new Cameron film over a hundred Red Notices and Rebel Moons.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Feb. 2026
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One lovely sequence sees an outdoor lunch at the lodge turn into an impromptu dance party with a live musician singing some cheerfully inauthentic bossa nova.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
22 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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The fever dream of a sequel that’s also a prequel takes everything good about the first movie and turns it up to 100, happily ignoring any dose of realism in favor of silly, colorful, karaoke-ready fun.—
Rachel Simon,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2026
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For two decades, Gulf governments played the role of rich aunt — writing checks, asking few questions, and happily letting New York bankers run the show.—
Liz Hoffman,
semafor.com,
5 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
At least as memorable was a New Year’s Eve show at the Tune Inn in downtown New Haven where the band blazed brightly.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
7 Mar. 2026
-
The Verde had started brightly, but Charlotte FC’s extra-man onslaught simply overpowered them.—
David Eckert,
Austin American Statesman,
7 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Merrily.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/merrily. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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