as in friskily
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Recent Examples of playfully
Laughing and playfully rolling her eyes, Vivian then took part in an elaborate handshake ritual with her dad.
—
Lara Walsh, InStyle, 14 June 2026
At another event that month, celebrating his great-grandmother's 70-year-reign, the young prince playfully poked his tongue out at mother Catherine, turning his nose up with his thumb.
—Jennifer Hassan, USA Today, 13 June 2026
Ohtani playfully side-eyed Roberts as the manager discussed his status with reporters on Saturday afternoon.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 13 June 2026
The couple was seen playfully wrestling in this fun shot Evans posted in his 2022 round up.
—Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 13 June 2026
The Velveteers had just wrapped up a blistering set on a stage erected in a bar, and before that, No Wave legend Lydia Lunch had interrupted her act to playfully banter with Purple magazine editor Olivier Zahm, who was toting around his adorable little chihuahua, Topochico.
—Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 9 June 2026
The chatter caused the emcees to not-so-playfully shush the crowd several times.
—Jared Perlo, NBC news, 6 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
Lara Walsh, InStyle, 14 June 2026
At another event that month, celebrating his great-grandmother's 70-year-reign, the young prince playfully poked his tongue out at mother Catherine, turning his nose up with his thumb.
—Jennifer Hassan, USA Today, 13 June 2026
Ohtani playfully side-eyed Roberts as the manager discussed his status with reporters on Saturday afternoon.
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 13 June 2026
The couple was seen playfully wrestling in this fun shot Evans posted in his 2022 round up.
—Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 13 June 2026
The Velveteers had just wrapped up a blistering set on a stage erected in a bar, and before that, No Wave legend Lydia Lunch had interrupted her act to playfully banter with Purple magazine editor Olivier Zahm, who was toting around his adorable little chihuahua, Topochico.
—Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 9 June 2026
The chatter caused the emcees to not-so-playfully shush the crowd several times.
—Jared Perlo, NBC news, 6 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
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
-
There was also a large contingent of Iranian fans who energetically waved the nation’s current flag.—
Todd Harmonson,
Oc Register,
16 June 2026
-
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
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
-
Early announces, briskly nodding.—
Lauren Michele Jackson,
New Yorker,
7 June 2026
-
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
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 19 Jun. 2026.
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