1
as in cheerfully
in a cheerful or happy manner
happily accepted the invitation to dinner
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in properly
in a manner suitable for the occasion or purpose
one of those rare occasions on which business and pleasure happily mixed
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of happily
Sitting front row, Fox and Pollan happily cuddled up in front of the camera ahead of the game, which made for a suspenseful evening.
—
Chanel Vargas, InStyle, 11 June 2026
The 32-year-old happily handed out more samples, plus coconut water drinks.
—Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 10 June 2026
For those caught unaware, the flies will also happily lay eggs in convenient openings such as the nose, mouth, ears, eyes, and even the bum, if available.
—Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 9 June 2026
But even more controversial, Slater had seemed to be happily married to therapist Lilly Jay — and the father of an 11-month-old baby boy.
—Martha Ross, Mercury News, 9 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for happily
Chanel Vargas, InStyle, 11 June 2026
The 32-year-old happily handed out more samples, plus coconut water drinks.
—Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 10 June 2026
For those caught unaware, the flies will also happily lay eggs in convenient openings such as the nose, mouth, ears, eyes, and even the bum, if available.
—Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 9 June 2026
But even more controversial, Slater had seemed to be happily married to therapist Lilly Jay — and the father of an 11-month-old baby boy.
—Martha Ross, Mercury News, 9 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for happily
Recent Examples of Synonyms for happily
Adverb
-
Golden retrievers remained cheerfully oblivious as usual.—
Pat Beall,
Sun Sentinel,
12 June 2026
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Among other curiosities were Matthew Howard and Joseph Pereira cheerfully pulverizing Philip Glass’ Fantasy Concerto for Two Timpanists and Orchestra, as well as Boris Allakhverdyan suavely ghosting jazz legend Artie Shaw in his Clarinet Concerto.—
Classical Music Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
Adverb
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Gould champions the idea of holding dog owners accountable for properly training and containing their dogs.—
Natasha Holt,
FOXNews.com,
14 June 2026
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Downed trees and powerlines stretched across parts of Justice and Hickory Hills along Roberts Avenue, with multiple intersections not working properly because of all the outages.—
Asal Rezaei,
CBS News,
14 June 2026
Adverb
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The working assumption — correctly — is that anything digital taken into China should be treated as potentially compromised.—
Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
11 June 2026
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The results were again mixed, with six to seven of the 10 problems answered essentially correctly by at least one AI.—
Joseph Howlett,
Scientific American,
10 June 2026
Adverb
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There are limitations to the findings, but Theocheung believes they can be addressed when the current technology is leveraged appropriately.—
Wyles Daniel,
USA Today,
9 June 2026
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The final putt — two feet, 10 inches — was appropriately dramatic, teetering along the left edge before curling back into the cup.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Happily.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/happily. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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