as in nicely
in a pleasing way
a sweetly silly summer movie
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Recent Examples of sweetly
But as our perceptions of Clark shift with various revelations, Bateman masterfully modifies his bearing from blandly sinister to sweetly sincere and back again.
—
Alison Herman, Variety, 1 Mar. 2026
This native honeysuckle is a much better choice than the sweetly scented but invasive Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica).
—Anne Readel, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Feb. 2026
Plants produce sweetly fragrant flowers from the growing shoot tips continuously from spring through frost, providing a constant supply of nectar for native bees and butterflies.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 17 Feb. 2026
Many love songs idealize; here, John Prine and Iris DeMent sweetly rattle off a list of each other’s endearing imperfections.
—Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 13 Feb. 2026
The poignant image is juxtaposed with flashbacks of them as children lying sweetly next to one another.
—Natasha O'Neill, Vanity Fair, 13 Feb. 2026
And so the players showed up brandishing hope for this summer while sweetly admitting the emotion that still lingers from last fall.
—Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2026
Raimi has always been drawn to that kind of protagonist, from Liam Neeson’s scientist turned superhero in Darkman to Tobey Maguire’s sweetly humble take on Peter Parker in Spider-Man.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 31 Jan. 2026
Their daughter can also be seen in the photos, sweetly bending over to kiss her mom's stomach.
—Tabitha Parent, PEOPLE, 30 Jan. 2026
Alison Herman, Variety, 1 Mar. 2026
This native honeysuckle is a much better choice than the sweetly scented but invasive Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica).
—Anne Readel, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Feb. 2026
Plants produce sweetly fragrant flowers from the growing shoot tips continuously from spring through frost, providing a constant supply of nectar for native bees and butterflies.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 17 Feb. 2026
Many love songs idealize; here, John Prine and Iris DeMent sweetly rattle off a list of each other’s endearing imperfections.
—Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 13 Feb. 2026
The poignant image is juxtaposed with flashbacks of them as children lying sweetly next to one another.
—Natasha O'Neill, Vanity Fair, 13 Feb. 2026
And so the players showed up brandishing hope for this summer while sweetly admitting the emotion that still lingers from last fall.
—Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2026
Raimi has always been drawn to that kind of protagonist, from Liam Neeson’s scientist turned superhero in Darkman to Tobey Maguire’s sweetly humble take on Peter Parker in Spider-Man.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 31 Jan. 2026
Their daughter can also be seen in the photos, sweetly bending over to kiss her mom's stomach.
—Tabitha Parent, PEOPLE, 30 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sweetly
Adverb
-
So disguised as a beggar, Odysseus shows up at his palace, and he is not treated very nicely by the suitors who have camped out in his house.—
Nina Metz,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Mar. 2026
-
For Homer, the case is coming together nicely and straightforwardly.—
Andy Andersen,
Vulture,
9 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
The fragrance is tantalizing and the sweet and tart flavors balance deliciously, along with spicy heat.—
Cathy Thomas,
Oc Register,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Players change their mind on a dime, making the roundtables both deliciously dramatic and kind of annoying.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
27 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
In typical provincial fashion, these four days of festivities include crafts, great food, bluegrass music, and an opportunity to visit sugar camps, where sap is boiled down into delightfully rich syrup.—
Jennifer Prince,
Southern Living,
7 Mar. 2026
-
While some guests dig into stats and delightfully wonky debates (best Reds clutch hitter of all time, for example), Greiner and Freking also steer the conversation to topics any fan can appreciate – like ballpark food favorites and spirited discussions about the best baseball movie ever made.—
Cincinnati Enquirer,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
6 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
These should be great longer-term entry points.—
Jay Woods,
CNBC,
26 Feb. 2026
-
An early version of the best dessert in the house was a great-tasting but untidy wet block of orange cake the size of a solitaire deck with a ping-pong scoop of chocolate ice cream.—
Mike Sutter,
San Antonio Express-News,
25 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
As more observations are collected, those uncertainties shrink, allowing scientists to better understand the object’s true path through space.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Kelly Clarkson Home Valentin Striped Indoor/Outdoor Area Rug Powerloomed for durability, this low-pile rug works well both outdoors on a patio or indoors in high-traffic areas like mudrooms.—
Shea Simmons,
Southern Living,
6 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
To that end, here’s a selection of the best (and most enjoyably bad) literary film and TV coming to streaming services this month.—
Emily Temple,
Literary Hub,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Rachel Sennott enjoyably cameos as a version of herself who’s a Charli frenemy.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
5 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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Her trick is to finely chop the ginger, instead of grating it, so there are spicy-sweet nubs in each bite.—
Nina Moskowitz,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
10 Mar. 2026
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Once established, queen of the prairie produces masses of fragrant, pale pink flower heads throughout the summer, along with bright green, finely cut foliage that's resistant to hungry deer.—
Lynn McAlpine,
Better Homes & Gardens,
5 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Carolyn and Lauren doing TV aerobics is so charmingly ’90s.—
Emma Specter,
Vogue,
5 Mar. 2026
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Most important, without every thread from the past seven episodes, the charmingly chaotic scene in the Bridgerton drawing room would be so much less fun!—
Christina Grace Tucker,
Vulture,
26 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sweetly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sweetly. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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