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
Bella, now three and a half years old, was described by Overbye as calm, sensitive, quiet, smart, and playful.
—
Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Sep. 2025
View gallery - 6 images Hyundai just unveiled its stunning Ioniq Concept 3, a compact five-door with perhaps the most playful design language the company has experimented with in years.
—Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 9 Sep. 2025
Speaking of iconic city streets, creative director Emily Smith chose a playful rendering of Lafayette 148’s namesake location as the brand gears up for its 30th anniversary.
—Ari Stark, Footwear News, 9 Sep. 2025
Pink was pictured having a playful moment with Jameson at 2019's E!
—Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for playful
Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Sep. 2025
View gallery - 6 images Hyundai just unveiled its stunning Ioniq Concept 3, a compact five-door with perhaps the most playful design language the company has experimented with in years.
—Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 9 Sep. 2025
Speaking of iconic city streets, creative director Emily Smith chose a playful rendering of Lafayette 148’s namesake location as the brand gears up for its 30th anniversary.
—Ari Stark, Footwear News, 9 Sep. 2025
Pink was pictured having a playful moment with Jameson at 2019's E!
—Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for playful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for playful
Adjective
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Fletcher and Jolly win audience love here, and Allen’s naked ambition to become sheriff is quite amusing.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
8 Sep. 2025
-
This is amusing but understandable; in an era where commodity fetishism has turned analog, low-budget cinema into something aspirational, Jenkin has made no compromises for accessibility.—
Sam Bodrojan,
IndieWire,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Tengbjerg, a fifty-one-year-old former pro soccer player from Denmark, is fit and trim, with a mischievous, no-nonsense brusqueness not generally associated with massage therapists.—
Sarah Larson,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude is run by the virulent and mischievous Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin).—
Esther Zuckerman,
Time,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Sweep guest rooms, guest bathrooms, formal entertaining spaces, and other parts of the home that are used infrequently at least once a month.—
Jolie Kerr,
Better Homes & Gardens,
9 Sep. 2025
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Her mother didn’t especially love to decorate, but Charlotte was inspired by her grandmother, who created a warm, welcoming home and made entertaining look easy.—
Sid Evans,
Southern Living,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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On a sunny Tuesday morning, 35-year-old Rita Guerrero stepped out from her door on North Mariposa Street, lively pup Olive barely contained by her leash.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Zarutska worked in a lively area of the lower South End dotted with breweries, apartment complexes and coffee shops.—
Elizabeth Wolfe,
CNN Money,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
From a massive 9-foot fir to a charming 3-foot tabletop tree, score up to 58% off a one-time buy that’ll last for years of merry memories.—
Mariana Best,
Better Homes & Gardens,
25 Aug. 2025
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While Materialists sticks to the bounds of its love triangle, Splitsville suggests the more, the merrier.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
22 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Hope Anne is goofy, affectionate, full of zest, and has so much love to give.—
Trish Stinger,
Kansas City Star,
2 Sep. 2025
-
Gangly giraffes punctuated the grasslands like goofy exclamation points.—
The Editors,
Outside,
31 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Labradors are often more energetic and bred for hunting, retrieving, and service work, whereas goldens are prized for their patience, friendliness, and trainability.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 Sep. 2025
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Inspired by the tradition of the divine feminine, the energetic space captivates with colors, abstract wall art and a goddess sculpture done by the dynamic sister artist duo’s mother.—
Spencer Whaley,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Overnight, customers discovered that their formerly frisky bots had turned frigid, some morphing into befuddled entities who seemed to be suffering from brain injuries.—
Patricia Marx,
New Yorker,
8 Sep. 2025
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The film’s first trailer hinted at something frisky and fun and glossy, with a thrilling underbelly, a sexy and wild outing that will put Ibsen in an entirely new light.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
25 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Playful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/playful. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.
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