playfully

adverb

as in friskily

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of playfully To reveal more of Okita’s endlessly surprising and playfully ambiguous script would be to rob audiences of the film’s numerous pleasures, which run the gamut from hearty belly-laughs to heartbreaking melodrama. — James Marsh, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026 One kitten stared transfixed through the glass while the other, unfazed, was more interested in darting around playfully. — ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026 Inside Lindblom, university leaders playfully lobbied on behalf of their campuses to a group of more than a dozen participants, who fired inquiries back about courses, postgraduation job success rates, campus accessibility and culture, and more. — Kate Perez, Chicago Tribune, 25 Sep. 2026 The vampy all-burgundy ensemble was playfully textural and was styled with burgundy tights and a bold burgundy red lip. — Amina Ayoud, Footwear News, 20 Sep. 2026 With a solid shade range (28 hues—playfully named after Los Angeles locales like DTLA, K-Town, and WeHo as a nod to the brand’s SoCal roots), you’re bound to find a match. — Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 18 Sep. 2026 After replaying Colbert’s Emmy acceptance speech, Kimmel playfully lambasted his friend for giving a sweet paean to his wife, Evie, which made all the other late night hosts look bad with their own wives. — Abid Rahman, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2026 In one photo, Pelphrey playfully cradled Cuoco's baby bump while the actress stared at him with a comically strained smile. — Edward Segarra, USA Today, 15 Sep. 2026 Gary Oldman has reflected playfully on creating headlines around the world with his comments about the James Bond casting process. — Jake Kanter, Deadline, 11 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for playfully
  1. animatedly
  2. airily
  3. energetically
  4. buoyantly
  5. briskly
  6. skittishly
  7. lively
  8. crisply
Adverb
  • Bindi, now a mother herself, posted a touching video of Steve animatedly describing her birth.
    — Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2026
  • By the end of our call, Michael Sheen is animatedly sharing stories of his family’s (potential) UFO sightings in south Wales.
    — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of animatedly
Adverb
  • Still, while these surfaces are clearly meant to reflect deeper emotional and cultural truths, Coppola’s mining of them is done glancingly, airily.
    — Naomi Fry, New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2026
Definition of airily
Adverb
  • The government once dedicated itself energetically to distributing homesteads or homes.
    — Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
  • One remaining challenge is to make a DNA computer that is energetically favorable, stable, reliable, and doesn’t require intervening tweaks and top-ups to arrive at a result.
    — Mike McRae September 22, New Atlas, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of energetically
Adverb
  • The song's interplay between choir and orchestra is buoyantly euphoric, opening a door to bolder, more intentionally progressive and soulful sounds in the country's mainstream.
    — Marcus K. Dowling, The Tennessean, 2 May 2025
Definition of buoyantly
Adverb
  • At the offices, Karp steered me briskly past open-plan tables and upholstered nooks, past signage announcing corporate fun.
    — Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Bomgren suggested options such as cycling, rowing, or walking briskly uphill.
    — Danielle Zickl, HEALTH, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of briskly
Adverb
  • The horse, not sensing any guidance on its ribcage, begins to move skittishly in tight, concentric circles.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Feb. 2026
  • While skittishly edited, the film nevertheless builds up Faithfull’s biography in basic chronological order.
    — Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 31 Aug. 2025
Definition of skittishly
Adverb
  • Fresh dill both in the filling and on top adds herbaceous notes that keep every bite lively.
    — Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 17 Sep. 2026
  • The Windjammer The Windjammer is part restaurant, part legendary live-music venue, with a buzzy beachfront setting that keeps things lively well beyond dinner.
    — Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of lively
Adverb
  • Perhaps like one’s heart crisply split in two, spilling its squelched juices, like the baobab fruit broken open by the stylish monkey in The Lion King, my favorite vintage cartoon.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2026
  • This crisply cropped jacket from Theory is polished enough to wear to the office with suiting.
    — Alison Syrett Cleary, InStyle, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of crisply

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playful
playfully
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Cite this Entry

“Playfully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/playfully. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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