1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

quizzically

adverb

Definition of quizzicallynext
as in incredulously

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 quizzically Prosecutors put the photo up on a large screen in the courtroom, showing a bearded man in a black T-shirt in front of platters of food, glancing quizzically at the camera. — Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 10 Sep. 2026 The pinniped pup looked around quizzically with large, black eyes before lumbering into the surf with abandon — as only the young can. — Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026 From lambs with quizzically cocked eyebrows, to lambs whose wooly coats are made of flower petals, to lambs that simply defy description. — Deena Prichep, NPR, 4 Apr. 2026 Lines of hundreds of guests snaked around the inside of the department store (which takes up an entire city block in Manhattan), with onlookers snapping photos quizzically. — Anika Reed, USA Today, 13 Sep. 2025 Daedone looked at me quizzically. — Thessaly La Force, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2025 Mills looked at her quizzically. — Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quizzically
  1. incredulously
  2. questioningly
  3. hesitantly
  4. askance
  5. suspiciously
  6. skeptically
  7. doubtfully
Adverb
  • Gulliver incredulously witnesses people attempting to extract sunbeams from cucumbers and turn excrement back into edible food.
    — Dónal Gill, The Dial, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Some people go so far as to repeat the nickname incredulously, or to make fun of it.
    — Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of incredulously
Adverb
  • Espinoza responded, holding up his hands questioningly.
    — Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 21 Jan. 2026
  • Bundhorol motioned to the direction of camp questioningly, then in the opposite direction, out into the empty grass.
    — Samantha Falewée, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Sep. 2025
Definition of questioningly
Adverb
  • In the public imagination, Housewives with a capital H are fame-hungry attention hogs who would rather throw the $400 bottle of Château Brane-Cantenac Margaux that’s sitting in front of us than sip it, as Cosby is hesitantly doing now.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Diane refuses, but April hesitantly makes the trip, only to learn that Theo — an artistic dilettante who lives in the city with his girlfriend, Lucy (Odessa A’zion) — has been lunching with Sandra behind her back.
    — Natalia Winkelman, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of hesitantly
Adverb
  • Candidates and their backers also typically knock on doors to get signatures, but that’s not an option this year as people look askance at strangers on their doorsteps.
    — Patrick Marley, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 18 May 2020
  • True, lots of good white progressives look askance at businessmen who amass vast fortunes.
    — John Powers, Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2020
Definition of askance
Adverb
  • Kelce showed a photo of a toilet that looked suspiciously like the one in the music video from Swift.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 28 Sep. 2026
  • In Silent Hill 2, the game starts with James Sunderland reading a note from his dead wife, giving us a reason to move into this suspiciously foggy town.
    — Zackery Cuevas, PC Magazine, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of suspiciously
Adverb
  • Treat any such composite skeptically until independent validation catches up.
    — Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 14 Sep. 2026
  • No one can reliably do that, and any allocator or platform that implies otherwise should be treated skeptically.
    — Steven Brod, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of skeptically
Adverb
  • But in this case, the story is very doubtfully true.
    — David Frum, The Atlantic, 21 May 2026
Definition of doubtfully

Browse Nearby Words

quizzical
quizzically
quizzing
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Quizzically.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quizzically. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of heterodox

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 2

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All