PLEASANTLY Synonyms: 68 Similar and Opposite Words

pleasantly

adverb

Definition of pleasantly

as in nicely

in a pleasing way we were pleasantly surprised by their offer to put us up for the night

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of pleasantly Cynthia Rowe and her two daughters traveled from Warrensburg for the concert and were pleasantly surprised to find the massive festival. — Kansas City Star, 17 Aug. 2026 Studio Romell drives home the point with the pleasantly imperfect Inri table lamp, handcrafted in France with a cast-bronze base of three asymmetrical legs. — Paige Reddinger, Robb Report, 15 Aug. 2026 McGregor, however, was pleasantly surprised, many years later, to find out that there actually is a passionate fanbase out there for his three Star Wars movies. — Damon Wise, Deadline, 15 Aug. 2026 Candice Davis had been pleasantly surprised by the ease of her first pregnancy. — Kerry Breen, CBS News, 15 Aug. 2026 The result will pleasantly scratch the type of brain this movie was made to reach. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 12 Aug. 2026 Most people were pleasantly surprised with their attraction to the Wicker Husband and, honestly, EW can’t blame them. — Shelby Stivale, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Aug. 2026 As a side sleeper, contributor Yelena Alpert was pleasantly surprised by the Tempur-Cloud Pillow’s soft-yet-firm balancing act. — Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 4 Aug. 2026 But slightly judgmental hipster associations aside, this is a top performing cocktail shaker with a pleasantly available price tag. — Justine Sterling, Bon Appetit Magazine, 31 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pleasantly

Adverb

These colors all pair nicely with whites, beiges, and soft browns, too.

— Sarah Lyon, The Spruce, 21 Aug. 2026
And this does the latter quite nicely, the classic claret and blue along with a gold trim offsets the whole thing rather well.

— Nick Miller, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of nicely

Adverb

There’s wisdom and depth to the film’s themes of growing old, dashed dreams and the magic of rediscovery, plus a deliciously ironic final twist.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026
Many people would be deliciously tired after such wholesome exertion and not want to spend their evenings raking over the past with a chatty English journalist.

— Sophie Monks Kaufman, IndieWire, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of deliciously

Adverb

Filled with cats doing everything from clever tricks to delightfully goofy antics, the festival — which is actually just one screening of a 70-minute collection of videos — promises to deliver nonstop laughter and feel-good entertainment.

— Denis Akbari, USA Today, 15 Aug. 2026
Perhaps most delightfully, there’s an antique barber’s chair tucked into its own grooming alcove.

— Natalie Hoberman, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of delightfully

Adverb

Beyond my ultra-chic (and great-smelling) mother’s stamp of approval, the brand’s luxurious perfume portfolio has earned praise from Meghan Markle, Kate Middleton, Jennifer Aniston, and Katie Holmes, to name a few.

— Kyra Surgent, InStyle, 12 Aug. 2026
But Malonga soon too will push the rebuilding Storm to future deep postseason runs like the ex-Storm great once did.

— Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of great

Adverb

The show nonetheless takes an unexpected direction that makes for an enjoyably low-key binge.

— Alison Herman, Variety, 7 Aug. 2026
Lowe used to be a member of a much larger and more popular right-wing populist party, Nigel Farage’s Reform, but he was forced out in an enjoyably catty and melodramatic schism after calling for mass deportations.

— Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 26 July 2026

Definition of enjoyably

Adverb

Ten years from now, the designation process should be even more finely tuned.

— Marie Sapirie, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
The best type of tea to re-steep is anything that starts very potent, or features tea leaves that are on the larger, coarser side, rather than finely ground.

— Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of finely

Adverb

Settling the score, meanwhile, is Randy Newman, whose fourth Pixar collaboration ambles along agreeably, accompanied by drivin’ tunes performed by Rascal Flatts, Sheryl Crow and Brad Paisley that are perfect for coasting along those alternate routes.

— Michael Rechtshaffen, HollywoodReporter, 9 June 2026
To that end, the writer-director, Chandler Levack, establishes an agreeably slapdash attitude of hedonistic adventure, one that’s often intentionally borderline cringe.

— Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 12 Apr. 2026

Definition of agreeably

Browse Nearby Words

pleasant

pleasantly

pleasantness

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“Pleasantly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pleasantly. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of pleasantly

adverb

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