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
-
If not for the enormous backlash—which included a conference lawsuit and threats of a boycott by other schools—the Red Raiders would have happily held their noses and competed for the national championship that eluded them last year.—
Jemele Hill,
The Atlantic,
19 June 2026
-
Best of all, the villain gets to live happily ever after.—
Angelina Mazza,
Vulture,
19 June 2026
Adverb
-
Squeezits No '90s lunch box felt complete without a brightly colored bottle of Squeezits.—
Kait Hanson,
Southern Living,
22 June 2026
-
Over 150 brightly colored, lovingly detailed cars cruised down Capitol Mall on Sunday for the fourth annual Lowrider Holiday Celebration.—
HG BIGGS,
Sacbee.com,
22 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Merrily.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/merrily. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
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