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
  • To reveal more of Okita’s endlessly surprising and playfully ambiguous script would be to rob audiences of the film’s numerous pleasures, which run the gamut from hearty belly-laughs to heartbreaking melodrama.
    — James Marsh, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026
  • One kitten stared transfixed through the glass while the other, unfazed, was more interested in darting around playfully.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 6 Oct. 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
  • 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
  • The Windjammer The Windjammer is part restaurant, part legendary live-music venue, with a buzzy beachfront setting that keeps things lively well beyond dinner.
    — Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of lively
Adverb
  • Sorkin briskly paints a portrait of a company with an uncongenial working environment and little transparency.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Stir briskly for 10 to 15 seconds, strain into a coupe or cocktail glass and garnish with an orange peel.
    — Jason O'Bryan, Robb Report, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of briskly
Adverb
  • The government once dedicated itself energetically to distributing homesteads or homes.
    — Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
  • One remaining challenge is to make a DNA computer that is energetically favorable, stable, reliable, and doesn’t require intervening tweaks and top-ups to arrive at a result.
    — Mike McRae September 22, New Atlas, 23 Sep. 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 15 Oct. 2026.

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