as in friskily
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Recent Examples of playfully
But Tilly and Gershon playfully bickered onstage as the former remembered things slightly differently, with Tilly saying the problem had more to do with a shot of her hand on Gershon's crotch that was deemed too realistic.
—
Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 8 June 2026
Ahead of her Chicago tribute performance, the mom-of-two—who shares daughter Willow, 15, and son Jameson, 9, with Hart—was photographed playfully pointing at the cameras and sharing a laugh with her family.
—Lara Walsh, InStyle, 7 June 2026
The chatter caused the emcees to not-so-playfully shush the crowd several times.
—Jared Perlo, NBC news, 6 June 2026
In Game 4, MGK playfully snatched a Knicks fan’s hat from the second row and threw it to the floor.
—Larry Holder, New York Times, 5 June 2026
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
Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 8 June 2026
Ahead of her Chicago tribute performance, the mom-of-two—who shares daughter Willow, 15, and son Jameson, 9, with Hart—was photographed playfully pointing at the cameras and sharing a laugh with her family.
—Lara Walsh, InStyle, 7 June 2026
The chatter caused the emcees to not-so-playfully shush the crowd several times.
—Jared Perlo, NBC news, 6 June 2026
In Game 4, MGK playfully snatched a Knicks fan’s hat from the second row and threw it to the floor.
—Larry Holder, New York Times, 5 June 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for playfully
Adverb
-
Last season Hustus handled more than 16,000 lobsters all while chatting animatedly with visitors from around the world—and often introducing them to their first tastes of lobster.—
Arati Menon,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 June 2026
-
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
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
-
When stewardship of the program passed to my colleagues and me, our responsibility was to expand energetically into a new age of media technology while preserving the values our audience expects.—
Joanna Ossinger,Laya Neelakandan,
CNBC,
3 June 2026
-
We are energetically drawn to and away from different things at various points in our lives.—
Kate Wieczorek,
Forbes.com,
1 June 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
-
In the production, directed by Jo Bonney, Susanna arrives there before realizing what has happened, a scene change that moves briskly enough to surprise you in the audience too.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
5 June 2026
-
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
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 12 Jun. 2026.
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