as in cheerfully
in a cheerful or happy manner
our coworker merrily announced that it was her birthday, so we felt obligated to treat her to lunch
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Recent Examples of merrily
Humans certainly aren’t going anywhere, so who’s to say that the mosquitoes won’t just keep feeding merrily on us regardless?
—
Tom Hawking, Popular Science, 15 Jan. 2026
Commerce market editor Kate McGregor noted in her review that the tree did give off a fuller look, and was especially handsome once decked out with a merrily maximalist slate of ornaments from some of our favorite holiday hubs.
—Nashia Baker, Architectural Digest, 22 Dec. 2025
My longtime friend Jim saw that salsa passion as a humorous route to merrily tease me and amuse our friends at an annual holiday party where friends have long become family.
—Lee Michael Katz, USA Today, 20 Dec. 2025
The 40-year-old singer Ryan Davis, a cowboy wiseacre with a drum machine and the patience for 11-minute anthems, riffs merrily on such existential mysteries.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 12 Dec. 2025
Of course, both beverages are merrily garnished.
—Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 20 Nov. 2025
The Billboard Holiday Countdown unwraps musical gifts from evergreen stars including Bobby Helms, Burl Ives, Dean Martin, Elvis Presley and Andy Williams mixing merrily with hits by the likes of Justin Bieber, Mariah Carey, Kelly Clarkson, Ariana Grande and Pentatonix.
—Gary Trust, Billboard, 6 Nov. 2025
The combination of flavors in this pie is blissful, the sweetness of the apples merrily dancing with the tart edge of the cranberries.
—Cathy Thomas, Oc Register, 13 Oct. 2025
Daniels after both of his TDs sought out the TV cameras just outside the end zone and merrily mocked FSU’s famous war chant, an echo of the swagger of Canes teams past.
—Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2025
Tom Hawking, Popular Science, 15 Jan. 2026
Commerce market editor Kate McGregor noted in her review that the tree did give off a fuller look, and was especially handsome once decked out with a merrily maximalist slate of ornaments from some of our favorite holiday hubs.
—Nashia Baker, Architectural Digest, 22 Dec. 2025
My longtime friend Jim saw that salsa passion as a humorous route to merrily tease me and amuse our friends at an annual holiday party where friends have long become family.
—Lee Michael Katz, USA Today, 20 Dec. 2025
The 40-year-old singer Ryan Davis, a cowboy wiseacre with a drum machine and the patience for 11-minute anthems, riffs merrily on such existential mysteries.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 12 Dec. 2025
Of course, both beverages are merrily garnished.
—Abigail Wilt, Southern Living, 20 Nov. 2025
The Billboard Holiday Countdown unwraps musical gifts from evergreen stars including Bobby Helms, Burl Ives, Dean Martin, Elvis Presley and Andy Williams mixing merrily with hits by the likes of Justin Bieber, Mariah Carey, Kelly Clarkson, Ariana Grande and Pentatonix.
—Gary Trust, Billboard, 6 Nov. 2025
The combination of flavors in this pie is blissful, the sweetness of the apples merrily dancing with the tart edge of the cranberries.
—Cathy Thomas, Oc Register, 13 Oct. 2025
Daniels after both of his TDs sought out the TV cameras just outside the end zone and merrily mocked FSU’s famous war chant, an echo of the swagger of Canes teams past.
—Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for merrily
Adverb
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Tim was a fiercely, cheerfully competitive kid—whether playing board games with his two older sisters or every sport under the sun with his big brothers.—
Taylor Antrim,
Vogue,
8 Feb. 2026
-
Today, Lamont operates cheerfully as the dominant figure in state politics and government.—
Kevin Rennie,
Hartford Courant,
7 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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But add some roasted chicken and top it with a creamy cheese sauce and the result is a rich and cozy casserole that even the pickiest child will happily eat.—
Gretchen McKay,
Twin Cities,
11 Feb. 2026
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Farmer Wants a Wife is back for a fourth season, with a new crop of handsome homesteaders who are hoping to finally harvest their happily ever after.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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In the brightly billboarded carcass of a West Coast city, private security shields the corporate enclaves of a tech élite from the shantytowns of the economically superfluous.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
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This could be anything from a sticker or patch to a ribbon—or something that does double duty, such as these brightly colored neoprene handle wraps.—
Alesandra Dubin,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Merrily.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/merrily. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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