: in a friendly and affable manner
smiling affably
"Let me show you something," he said, affably, coming over and taking out of his pocket a little lithographed card which had been issued by a wholesale tobacco company.—
Theodore Dreiser
Theodore DreiserHe has a knack for stating his case cogently and affably, making it sound eminently sensible.—Daniel Sogg
Daniel SoggExamples of affably in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Reynolds, wildly miscast, tries valiantly to sound frivolously urbane rather than affably southern, and Shepherd delivers her numbers with none of her usual comic charm.
—Stephen Deusner, SPIN, 22 Jan. 2024
The first act, in which the tension’s building, is stronger than the second but this engaging cast from the National Theatre of Scotland ably and affably demonstrates how theater can take you to other worlds without leaving your seat.
—Matthew J. Palm, Orlando Sentinel, 6 Apr. 2023
DeSantis, by contrast, comes across less affably, as a bully interested in power for its own sake.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 22 Mar. 2023
An adaptation hoping to reclaim its protagonist from the performer who became synonymous with him in the ’80s, Greg Mottola’s Confess, Fletch may surprise moviegoers who only know Irwin Maurice Fletcher as the affably cartoonish sleuth played by Chevy Chase.
—John Defore, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Sep. 2022
Everett Collection Devil in a Blue Dress (1995) Sizemore is one heavy among many here, but his chilling pivot from affably shifty to scary makes his screen time as jolting as that of costars Denzel Washington and Don Cheadle.
—Leah Greenblatt, Randall Colburn, EW.com, 4 Mar. 2023
Strict emotional regulation is maintained over these relationships, which include a long affair with a married woman whose husband is affably acquiescent.
—Tim Parks, The New York Review of Books, 24 June 2020
The author tagged along in the van, watching as O'Connell and his team patiently and affably used the skills of social workers to persuade unhoused people to come in for medical treatment.
—Erika D. Smithcolumnist, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2023
There have been a fair number of Satans in Saturday Night Live history, but none so captured the essence as a performer than Jason Sudeikis' affably sinister prince of darkness.
—Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 13 Dec. 2022
Stephen Deusner, SPIN, 22 Jan. 2024
The first act, in which the tension’s building, is stronger than the second but this engaging cast from the National Theatre of Scotland ably and affably demonstrates how theater can take you to other worlds without leaving your seat.
—Matthew J. Palm, Orlando Sentinel, 6 Apr. 2023
DeSantis, by contrast, comes across less affably, as a bully interested in power for its own sake.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 22 Mar. 2023
An adaptation hoping to reclaim its protagonist from the performer who became synonymous with him in the ’80s, Greg Mottola’s Confess, Fletch may surprise moviegoers who only know Irwin Maurice Fletcher as the affably cartoonish sleuth played by Chevy Chase.
—John Defore, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Sep. 2022
Everett Collection Devil in a Blue Dress (1995) Sizemore is one heavy among many here, but his chilling pivot from affably shifty to scary makes his screen time as jolting as that of costars Denzel Washington and Don Cheadle.
—Leah Greenblatt, Randall Colburn, EW.com, 4 Mar. 2023
Strict emotional regulation is maintained over these relationships, which include a long affair with a married woman whose husband is affably acquiescent.
—Tim Parks, The New York Review of Books, 24 June 2020
The author tagged along in the van, watching as O'Connell and his team patiently and affably used the skills of social workers to persuade unhoused people to come in for medical treatment.
—Erika D. Smithcolumnist, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2023
There have been a fair number of Satans in Saturday Night Live history, but none so captured the essence as a performer than Jason Sudeikis' affably sinister prince of darkness.
—Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 13 Dec. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'affably.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near affably
Cite this Entry
“Affably.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/affably. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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