as in friskily
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Recent Examples of playfully
Babies of core characters, like Adam Chandler’s JR and Tad Martin’s Jamie, were aged up for narrative purposes, a narrative function playfully known by soap fans as Soap Opera Rapid Aging Syndrome or SORAS.
—
Literary Hub, 3 June 2026
In this 1935 image, the couple playfully pose beside the pool of their Rancho Santa Fe home.
—Michelle Duncan, Architectural Digest, 2 June 2026
As Will gazed at the tallest land mammals on Earth, two calves galloped playfully across the exhibit, chasing one another.
—Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 30 May 2026
During the latest installment of the competition, Hollywood playfully called out Leith for a notably harsh critique of one of the contestant's culinary confections.
—Stacy Lambe, PEOPLE, 29 May 2026
Director Maite Alberdi playfully delves into Alejandra’s true story by blending fiction and reality, capturing what happened when a simple lie spiraled into something bigger than Alejandra could control.
—Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 27 May 2026
The rooms The rooms playfully interpret classic European style.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 May 2026
Colbert also playfully mentioned a fictional appearance by Pope Leo XIV.
—Toni Fitzgerald, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
Turner snaked through the gauntlet, as his teammates playfully slapped and shoved him around.
—Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2026
Literary Hub, 3 June 2026
In this 1935 image, the couple playfully pose beside the pool of their Rancho Santa Fe home.
—Michelle Duncan, Architectural Digest, 2 June 2026
As Will gazed at the tallest land mammals on Earth, two calves galloped playfully across the exhibit, chasing one another.
—Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 30 May 2026
During the latest installment of the competition, Hollywood playfully called out Leith for a notably harsh critique of one of the contestant's culinary confections.
—Stacy Lambe, PEOPLE, 29 May 2026
Director Maite Alberdi playfully delves into Alejandra’s true story by blending fiction and reality, capturing what happened when a simple lie spiraled into something bigger than Alejandra could control.
—Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 27 May 2026
The rooms The rooms playfully interpret classic European style.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 May 2026
Colbert also playfully mentioned a fictional appearance by Pope Leo XIV.
—Toni Fitzgerald, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
Turner snaked through the gauntlet, as his teammates playfully slapped and shoved him around.
—Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for playfully
Adverb
-
On her Instagram Story, the As Ever founder shared an accompanying video which, according to People, features a voice that’s likely Lilibet’s animatedly speaking towards the end of the clip, as the waves rolled in.—
Rachel Burchfield,
InStyle,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Mangione wore beige prison clothing to the hearing and spoke animatedly with his defense team.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
30 Jan. 2026
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
Adverb
-
We are energetically drawn to and away from different things at various points in our lives.—
Kate Wieczorek,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
-
The crowd also reacted energetically to questions about Kansas City barbecue and a call for Congress to pass the SAVE Act, a bill that would require documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote.—
Jack Harvel,
Kansas City Star,
18 May 2026
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
Adverb
-
Stuart Meltzer, artistic director of Zoetic Stage and here guest directing at GableStage, keeps the action moving briskly while still allowing the play’s more powerful moments room to breathe.—
Mary Damiano,
Miami Herald,
27 May 2026
-
Maverick outlines Lean’s entrée into the British film industry in briskly entertaining fashion.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
27 May 2026
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
Adverb
-
The boat holds a cluster of restaurants that draw a steady stream of Cairo locals, which keeps the dining scene feeling lively well into the evening.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
12 May 2026
-
What used to feel lively now often feels congested and harder to enjoy.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
7 May 2026
Adverb
-
Then again, maybe $1,000 just rolls trippingly off the tongue and into Trump’s good graces.—
Stephen Gandel,
The Seattle Times,
3 Feb. 2018
-
One man, whose arrogance and ego lead him trippingly into chaos of his own making, can turn a shining city on the hill into a shadowy, taudry replica of itself. …—
James Hohmann,
Washington Post,
14 July 2017
Cite this Entry
“Playfully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/playfully. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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