as in friskily
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Recent Examples of playfully
Brown, 56, playfully picked up the phone and spoke into it, while giving a lecture on reporters' need to keep their phones muted.
—
Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 20 Apr. 2026
Following her Instagram debut, Bullock wasted no time supporting and playfully teasing her friends and former costars on the social media platform.
—Gina Kalsi, PEOPLE, 15 Apr. 2026
Then there’s the crowns of her pop star, which follow on the heels of the Genovia (Princess Diaries 3) and New York media (Prada) variety, as the actress playfully noted while talking to THR.
—Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 14 Apr. 2026
Clooney was reacting playfully in his statement to Deadline but was deadly serious in his recent public comments.
—Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 8 Apr. 2026
But their roles were playfully incidental with the focus on the zhuzhing more than judging — and the dazzling sights, moves and performances.
—Frank Rizzo, Variety, 8 Apr. 2026
The team of Bob Mortimer, Aisling Bea, and Sally Phillips sang a song that playfully mocked Rosalind, but the team of Nish Kumar and Mark Watson—whose performances had been hilariously scattershot that season—delivered a sweet, self-effacing, and humorous song that took everyone by surprise.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 Apr. 2026
In the spirit of April Fool's Day, Gomez playfully addressed a viral conspiracy theory that suggests she was replaced by a clone.
—Chanel Vargas, InStyle, 2 Apr. 2026
Old-world elegance is playfully disrupted by Jeff Leatham’s monumental floral installations (made up of 11,000 flowers each week, to be exact).
—Lindsey Tramuta, Robb Report, 2 Apr. 2026
Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 20 Apr. 2026
Following her Instagram debut, Bullock wasted no time supporting and playfully teasing her friends and former costars on the social media platform.
—Gina Kalsi, PEOPLE, 15 Apr. 2026
Then there’s the crowns of her pop star, which follow on the heels of the Genovia (Princess Diaries 3) and New York media (Prada) variety, as the actress playfully noted while talking to THR.
—Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 14 Apr. 2026
Clooney was reacting playfully in his statement to Deadline but was deadly serious in his recent public comments.
—Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 8 Apr. 2026
But their roles were playfully incidental with the focus on the zhuzhing more than judging — and the dazzling sights, moves and performances.
—Frank Rizzo, Variety, 8 Apr. 2026
The team of Bob Mortimer, Aisling Bea, and Sally Phillips sang a song that playfully mocked Rosalind, but the team of Nish Kumar and Mark Watson—whose performances had been hilariously scattershot that season—delivered a sweet, self-effacing, and humorous song that took everyone by surprise.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 Apr. 2026
In the spirit of April Fool's Day, Gomez playfully addressed a viral conspiracy theory that suggests she was replaced by a clone.
—Chanel Vargas, InStyle, 2 Apr. 2026
Old-world elegance is playfully disrupted by Jeff Leatham’s monumental floral installations (made up of 11,000 flowers each week, to be exact).
—Lindsey Tramuta, Robb Report, 2 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
-
Lustau Amontillado Sherry Add all ingredients to a mixing glass, add ice, and stir briskly for 10 to 20 seconds (longer for bigger ice, shorter for smaller).—
Jeremy Repanich,
Robb Report,
4 Apr. 2026
-
The ongoing war involving Iran, Israel, and the United States—and in which Iran has struck at Gulf Arab countries—has already shown how briskly a military crisis can become an economic one.—
Comfort Ero,
Time,
3 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 voice cast from the first installment keeps the film lively.—
Zaki Hasan,
San Francisco Chronicle,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Young hunters can also expect pennies, treats and other surprises along the route—enough to keep the afternoon lively.—
Debby Rice,
Mercury News,
24 Feb. 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 24 Apr. 2026.
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