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
Ideally one composed of your old, gold, merrily-we-roll-along friends.
—
Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 26 May 2026
Meanwhile, the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder continue to roll merrily along, seemingly intent on winning every championship in the near future.
—Bob Harkins, New York Times, 7 May 2026
This Christmas white cake sings merrily with the tart, citrus flavors of a cherry, orange, and cranberry filling.
—Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 1 May 2026
The Ultra Music Festival merrily rolls along in its 26th year Friday through Sunday at Bayfront Park in downtown Miami.
—Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 26 Mar. 2026
The sick humor of an inappropriately large insect thrashing on the bed gives way to the morbid humor of the new family of three proceeding merrily with their small lives.
—Christine Smallwood, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
At the time of the landmark rights deal, Levy’s sales team had spent the last two years merrily siphoning off marketing dollars traditionally earmarked for the broadcast giants.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 20 Mar. 2026
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
Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 26 May 2026
Meanwhile, the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder continue to roll merrily along, seemingly intent on winning every championship in the near future.
—Bob Harkins, New York Times, 7 May 2026
This Christmas white cake sings merrily with the tart, citrus flavors of a cherry, orange, and cranberry filling.
—Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 1 May 2026
The Ultra Music Festival merrily rolls along in its 26th year Friday through Sunday at Bayfront Park in downtown Miami.
—Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 26 Mar. 2026
The sick humor of an inappropriately large insect thrashing on the bed gives way to the morbid humor of the new family of three proceeding merrily with their small lives.
—Christine Smallwood, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
At the time of the landmark rights deal, Levy’s sales team had spent the last two years merrily siphoning off marketing dollars traditionally earmarked for the broadcast giants.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 20 Mar. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for merrily
Adverb
-
Golden retrievers remained cheerfully oblivious as usual.—
Pat Beall,
Sun Sentinel,
12 June 2026
-
Among other curiosities were Matthew Howard and Joseph Pereira cheerfully pulverizing Philip Glass’ Fantasy Concerto for Two Timpanists and Orchestra, as well as Boris Allakhverdyan suavely ghosting jazz legend Artie Shaw in his Clarinet Concerto.—
Classical Music Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
Adverb
-
Regardless of the extent of Rose’s presence, fans are hoping for her and Peter to get a happy ending the way George Clooney’s ER return for Julianna Margulies’ final episode gave their characters Doug and Carol a happily ever after.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
12 June 2026
-
One thing that has shifted since Sendak’s heyday, however, is our baseline of assumptions about how much kids are reading, or how well or how happily, or to what extent the culture that surrounds them is fundamentally hostile to reading.—
Jessica Winter,
New Yorker,
12 June 2026
Adverb
-
The stars burn brightly here, shielded from light pollution and city glare, and the rock formations are eerily beautiful in silhouette.—
Tamara Gane,
Travel + Leisure,
15 June 2026
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As a broadcast meteorologist at Kansas City’s local station KCXE, Margaret is frequently on air wearing the seemingly requisite brightly colored, body-con dresses so many people associate with the classic local news anchor lewk.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
12 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Merrily.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/merrily. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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