sportively

adverb

as in playfully

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sportively
  1. playfully
  2. animatedly
  3. buoyantly
  4. airily
  5. skittishly
  6. lively
  7. briskly
  8. energetically
Adverb
  • Sandra Bullock kicked off the reel, playfully alluding to Abdy’s change in employment status.
    — Marc Malkin, Variety, 6 Nov. 2026
  • The pastel-yellow lounge with its low ceiling and eclectic armchairs in the same soft hue playfully recalls the roaring twenties.
    — Kasia Dietz, Travel + Leisure, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of playfully
Adverb
  • Bindi, now a mother herself, posted a touching video of Steve animatedly describing her birth.
    — Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2026
  • By the end of our call, Michael Sheen is animatedly sharing stories of his family’s (potential) UFO sightings in south Wales.
    — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of animatedly
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
Definition of buoyantly
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
Definition of airily
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
Definition of skittishly
Adverb
  • La Parguera’s main square is buzzing with souvenir shops, street vendors, and local bars that stay lively well into the night.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Fresh dill both in the filling and on top adds herbaceous notes that keep every bite lively.
    — Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of lively
Adverb
  • After warming up, a person could walk briskly for one minute, slow down for two minutes and then repeat, gradually increasing the faster periods.
    — Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 1 Nov. 2026
  • There were starkly arranged a cappella vocals, wistful singer-songwriter tunes for briskly contemplating the boy from last night, and a dance-floor track once intended for Madonna.
    — Jack Denton, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of briskly
Adverb
  • During winter, both kinglet species flit among tree branches, frequently hovering and energetically flicking their wings to startle insects into movement.
    — Charles Seabrook, AJC.com, 7 Nov. 2026
  • Italians are fed energetically with the sustenance of beauty, ease, and joy.
    — Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of energetically
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Sportively.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sportively. Accessed 12 Nov. 2026.

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