as in amusing
given to good-natured joking or teasing
the little girl was lighthearted and playful
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of playful
Victoria Beckham appears in a new marketing video for her makeup line Victoria Beckham Beauty wearing an office siren look that is equal parts business-ready and playful.
—
Meg Walters, InStyle, 25 Jan. 2026
While not all dogs learn this way, using clear, consistent words and playful interaction can help any dog build language skills.
—Liz Regalia, Parents, 25 Jan. 2026
Here was someone who seemed to capture the playful, postmodern irony of writers like Donald Barthelme, and infuse it with a deep sincerity and depth of humanity.
—John Warner, Chicago Tribune, 24 Jan. 2026
The play features fun, contemporary costumes by Charlie Amon, playful handmade scenery by Jesus Hurtado, tension-building sound design by Michael Moretta, lighting by Stephanie Ma’alona and videos by Mariana Morin.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for playful
Meg Walters, InStyle, 25 Jan. 2026
While not all dogs learn this way, using clear, consistent words and playful interaction can help any dog build language skills.
—Liz Regalia, Parents, 25 Jan. 2026
Here was someone who seemed to capture the playful, postmodern irony of writers like Donald Barthelme, and infuse it with a deep sincerity and depth of humanity.
—John Warner, Chicago Tribune, 24 Jan. 2026
The play features fun, contemporary costumes by Charlie Amon, playful handmade scenery by Jesus Hurtado, tension-building sound design by Michael Moretta, lighting by Stephanie Ma’alona and videos by Mariana Morin.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for playful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for playful
Adjective
-
The mainframe cycle has returned, which is both remarkable and somewhat amusing in 2026.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Danish star Bang seems to having a grand time playing the I-want-it-all villain of the piece and is amusing to watch.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Within your 3rd House of Local Community, mischievous Mercury combines with dark Pluto, turning conversations into truth-seeking moments that clarify trust and tighten details.—
Tarot.com,
Sun Sentinel,
22 Jan. 2026
-
In House of the Dragon’s season 2 premiere, Aegon II brought him to a meeting where Jaehaerys II was mischievous and bored.—
Skyler Trepel,
PEOPLE,
19 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Chelsea Green is perhaps the most entertaining star in all of WWE, but she’s been largely booked as a comedy character on the main roster.—
Blake Oestriecher,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Although this Prime Video offering proves a lot more entertaining than the Chris Pratt starrer Mercy that was just released in theaters.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
But smart casting, witty writing, lively directing, and artful character development have also yielded the rare superhero riff that, as Kovak puts it, finds the human underneath.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
26 Jan. 2026
-
For 30 minutes, the producers mostly paint with a warm, lively palette, whisking fragments of IDM, ghettotech, and house into a hypnotic swirl.—
Rae-Aila Crumble,
Pitchfork,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
In fact, the more, the merrier!—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
17 Jan. 2026
-
Our young hero Spike (Alfie Williams), having abandoned the secluded safety of his island home in the wake of his mother’s death, finds himself at the mercy of this merry band of bloodthirsty pranksters, shepherded by a sadistic Manson-esque leader, Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal (Jack O’Connell).—
Katie Walsh,
Dallas Morning News,
16 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The first 15 Godzilla movies, known as the Showa Era (and collected in a swanky Criterion Collection set a few years back), were a natural, if increasingly goofy, evolution of the King of the Monsters.—
James Grebey,
Vulture,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Norman spoke with Mixed Asian Media about her role in the show and how playing a hard-working ballet dancer compared to her real-life goofier and more extroverted personality.—
Skyler Trepel,
PEOPLE,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The annual allergy affliction happens when the male mountain ashe juniper trees get frisky looking for the female mountain ashe junipers and unleash all of their itchy, yellow pollen.—
Nicole Villalpando,
Austin American Statesman,
5 Jan. 2026
-
In ragtag crumbles or genteel chunks, feta cheese gives a frisky flavor edge to food.—
Cathy Thomas,
Oc Register,
29 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
His interests reflect both his creativity and his energetic spirit.—
MARE Staff,
Boston Herald,
25 Jan. 2026
-
Some 35 times more energetic than any neutrino seen before, the particle might have shot out from a highly active galaxy — a blazar — or a background source of cosmogenic high-energy particles that scientists suspect pervade the cosmos.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Playful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/playful. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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