as in friskily
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Recent Examples of playfully
Bündchen could be seen playfully tossing her baby boy in the air in the first photo, while other pictures show the model spending quality time with all three of her kids.
—
Staff Author, PEOPLE, 12 May 2026
Natural light pours into the bathrooms, and ground-floor accommodations have alfresco showers (playfully dubbed secret gardens).
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 May 2026
Laurie playfully suggested keeping an eye out for a dramatic announcement on the pod this week.
—Ian Irving, New York Times, 9 May 2026
As real trees begin to bloom outside, photographer Widline Cadet picks through two playfully oversized bouquets of positively unnatural plastic flowers.
—Elly Fishman, Vogue, 8 May 2026
Actor and fashion muse Gwendoline Christie playfully covered her face on the carpet with a mask of her own face while pop star Katy Perry opened and closed her fencing-like mask on the carpet to smile at the cameras.
—Beatrice Dupuy, Chicago Tribune, 5 May 2026
Doncic playfully slapped Maxi Kleber on the back of the head when Kleber was shooting during a Game 4 timeout.
—Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2026
Penguins darted beneath us, marine iguanas grazed on algae, and sea lions twirled playfully in the water.
—David Morris, Travel + Leisure, 26 Apr. 2026
Jurassic Burger opened in the mall’s food court, offering playfully named items like Pterodactyl Nuggets, Petrified Onion Rings and the T-Rex Supreme burger ($13).
—Chadd Cripe. Produced With Ai Assistance, Idaho Statesman, 25 Apr. 2026
Staff Author, PEOPLE, 12 May 2026
Natural light pours into the bathrooms, and ground-floor accommodations have alfresco showers (playfully dubbed secret gardens).
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 May 2026
Laurie playfully suggested keeping an eye out for a dramatic announcement on the pod this week.
—Ian Irving, New York Times, 9 May 2026
As real trees begin to bloom outside, photographer Widline Cadet picks through two playfully oversized bouquets of positively unnatural plastic flowers.
—Elly Fishman, Vogue, 8 May 2026
Actor and fashion muse Gwendoline Christie playfully covered her face on the carpet with a mask of her own face while pop star Katy Perry opened and closed her fencing-like mask on the carpet to smile at the cameras.
—Beatrice Dupuy, Chicago Tribune, 5 May 2026
Doncic playfully slapped Maxi Kleber on the back of the head when Kleber was shooting during a Game 4 timeout.
—Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2026
Penguins darted beneath us, marine iguanas grazed on algae, and sea lions twirled playfully in the water.
—David Morris, Travel + Leisure, 26 Apr. 2026
Jurassic Burger opened in the mall’s food court, offering playfully named items like Pterodactyl Nuggets, Petrified Onion Rings and the T-Rex Supreme burger ($13).
—Chadd Cripe. Produced With Ai Assistance, Idaho Statesman, 25 Apr. 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
-
And the queen’s violent enforcement of her dominance is energetically costly and can lead to injuries, according to the researchers.—
Jeanna Bryner,
Scientific American,
15 Apr. 2026
-
The unanticipated consequences of transformational change are energetically explored in Jude’s films.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 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
-
After the shove, the video shows Niemi and his group walk briskly down the stretch of Santa Monica Boulevard that is home to a number of nightclubs and bars.—
James Queally,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
-
The early innings moved briskly, then the Guardians struck first in the fifth.—
Marc Topkin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
28 Apr. 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 15 May. 2026.
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