1
a
: in a fortunate manner
b
: as it fortunately happens
happily, some boyhood pleasures don't change—
P. A. Witteman
P. A. Witteman2
archaic
: by chance
3
: in a happy manner or state
4
: in an adequate or fitting manner : successfully
Examples of happily in a Sentence
They have been happily married for 12 years.
They lived happily ever after.
We happily accept credit cards.
Recent Examples on the Web
The combo is a winning recipe that has kept this neighborhood favorite happily busy since 1993.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 17 Oct. 2025
Barrymore happily sniffed both Anderson and Mathews’ feet — which were both deemed to be scentless, thank you very much — during a discussion about their now-viral foot footage on Friday’s episode of The Drew Barrymore Show.
—Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Oct. 2025
Romance readers expect a happily-ever-after, thriller readers want escalating tension, and fantasy readers expect world-building—genre is essentially a contract with your audience.
—Jennifer Sodini, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2025
Both are happily married (Cooper to his wife, Sheryl Goddard, Halford to his husband, Thomas Pence).
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for happily
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Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 17 Oct. 2025
Barrymore happily sniffed both Anderson and Mathews’ feet — which were both deemed to be scentless, thank you very much — during a discussion about their now-viral foot footage on Friday’s episode of The Drew Barrymore Show.
—Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Oct. 2025
Romance readers expect a happily-ever-after, thriller readers want escalating tension, and fantasy readers expect world-building—genre is essentially a contract with your audience.
—Jennifer Sodini, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2025
Both are happily married (Cooper to his wife, Sheryl Goddard, Halford to his husband, Thomas Pence).
—George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for happily
Cite this Entry
“Happily.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/happily. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
happily
adverb
hap·pi·ly
ˈhap-ə-lē 
1
: in a fortunate or lucky manner
happily, no one was injured
2
: in a happy manner or state
lived happily ever after
3
: in a fitting, effective, or successful manner
remarks happily worded
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