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
Saturn in your companionable 7th house is encouraging Pluto in your playful 5th house, so the energy of these cosmic powerhouses should be a little less hard to handle and a lot more fun!
—
Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 28 Mar. 2026
Add a little sparkle to your everyday style with playful, personalized jewelry designed to feel uniquely yours from Daniela Swaebe.
—Tory Johnson, ABC News, 28 Mar. 2026
From its booming beginning to its playful passages, the music offered vivid contrasts.
—Sheila Regan, Twin Cities, 28 Mar. 2026
From dresses to accessories, polka dots bring a playful kind of polish that always feels relevant.
—Andrea Zendejas, Vogue, 27 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for playful
Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 28 Mar. 2026
Add a little sparkle to your everyday style with playful, personalized jewelry designed to feel uniquely yours from Daniela Swaebe.
—Tory Johnson, ABC News, 28 Mar. 2026
From its booming beginning to its playful passages, the music offered vivid contrasts.
—Sheila Regan, Twin Cities, 28 Mar. 2026
From dresses to accessories, polka dots bring a playful kind of polish that always feels relevant.
—Andrea Zendejas, Vogue, 27 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for playful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for playful
Adjective
-
That might mean that us Americans are already sick of Sneako, Myron Gaines, and the rest of the loudmouthed misogynist podcast crew that Theroux struggles to comprehend in this amusing and upsetting documentary.—
K. Thor Jensen,
PC Magazine,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Featuring so many plugs for Chick-fil-A that one hopes the producers got a good product-placement fee or at least free catering for the film shoot, Plantman & Blondie might have been amusing enough as a brief sketch, although frankly even that’s doubtful.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The Ospreys – a mischievous bird of prey – have returned.—
Mark Price,
Charlotte Observer,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Labubu, the vinyl plush collectible with a snaggletoothed grin and knowingly mischievous eyes, has become a viral sensation and one of China’s fastest-rising exports.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Sourcing Journal,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The Bruins have their signature comeback victory of this entertaining 2025-26 season.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Trump’s speech was at times entertaining, rambling, repetitive, and combative.—
Matthew Martin,
semafor.com,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Participants are able to create a schedule for themselves that supports more solo contemplative space or lively group experiences.—
Moira McCarthy,
Boston Herald,
29 Mar. 2026
-
South Elgin’s protest was just as lively.—
Gloria Casas,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
These are the chapters that feature the merry trickster of the forest, Tom Bombadil, a classic fiddle-dee-dee-mischief type who waylays the hobbits at the onset of their quest.—
Rebecca Alter,
Vulture,
25 Mar. 2026
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In Don’t Get High, an alpha dork and her merry gang of dweebs start an anti-drug group at their high school to make friends and influence people.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
25 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Six women in motorcycle jackets saunter onto the stage at the Coronado Historical Association, dancing to a goofy opening number.—
Barbara Bry,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 Mar. 2026
-
Nicolas Winding Refn’s second collaboration with Gosling could have been goofy as hell.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Moustache joined my plump tortoiseshell Toffee, the progeny of frisky barn cats, an elderly rabbit rescued from neglect, and my best friend Bacon, a good dog adopted from Lifeline Puppy Rescue years before.—
Krista Kafer,
Denver Post,
27 Mar. 2026
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Founded in 2016 by Will Braden, CatVideoFest is a compilation of the latest and best cat videos, meaning the ones in which felines are adorable, frisky or getting into some kind of amusing trouble.—
Brent Lang,
Variety,
27 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Those two youngsters happen to be a happily engaged, and happily naive, couple, and the series plays out exploring the dynamics between the two relationships, one young, loving and energetic, the other old, tired and toxic.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
30 Mar. 2026
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To support the flight, there has been a sharpening of space weather forecasting skills — an ability to better gauge the sun's activity and to help assure crew safety if a hazardous uptick in solar action rears its energetic head.—
Leonard David,
Space.com,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Playful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/playful. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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