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
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
The 40-year-old singer Ryan Davis, a cowboy wiseacre with a drum machine and the patience for 11-minute anthems, riffs merrily on such existential mysteries.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 12 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
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
The 40-year-old singer Ryan Davis, a cowboy wiseacre with a drum machine and the patience for 11-minute anthems, riffs merrily on such existential mysteries.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 12 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
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With this introduction of a hapless protagonist not entirely managing to live her best life, Brett Haley‘s film cheerfully speaks both the literary and cinematic language of romantic comedy — and won’t seek to subvert or elevate it in the two hours that follow.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
8 Jan. 2026
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Unable to roll the map out, its creators cheerfully realize that the country itself can serve as its own map.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
4 Jan. 2026
Adverb
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Below, find out what might happen in Season 5 of Bridgerton based on the books—from who Eloise ends up with to the challenges Francesca faces while pursuing her own happily ever after.—
Bailey Bujnosek,
InStyle,
30 Jan. 2026
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But with a few shrewd changes from page to screen, Benedict asking Sophie to be his mistress feels more like a last resort than a first instinct, clearing the path to a smoother happily ever after when the show returns in February.—
Savannah Walsh,
Vanity Fair,
30 Jan. 2026
Adverb
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Honnold was also fitted with a mike, and his intermittent comments remained brightly impersonal.—
Naomi Fry,
New Yorker,
26 Jan. 2026
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In addition, the researchers observed that the object shines brightly in X-rays and emits strong radio waves.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Merrily.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/merrily. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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