as in nicely
in a pleasing way
we were pleasantly surprised by their offer to put us up for the night
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of pleasantly
But guests may find themselves getting pleasantly lost in the hotel’s nightlife and social scene which includes a jazz club, a small cinema room, and a private cocktail lounge.
—
Juliana Shallcross, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Feb. 2026
Original Jurassic Park star Sam Neill was just as pleasantly surprised to see the connection between his character Alan Grant and the latest franchise entry, Jurassic World Rebirth.
—Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Feb. 2026
The chocolate is similarly poor in quality, but the filling is creamy and pleasantly sweet.
—Jolene Thym, Mercury News, 6 Feb. 2026
Even my husband, who’s a hot sleeper, was pleasantly surprised.
—Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 1 Feb. 2026
The smell is pleasantly fresh too.
—Alanna Martine Kilkeary, Glamour, 27 Jan. 2026
Instead, the pleasantly low price tag comes primarily from a direct sales model, minimal marketing, and simplified aesthetics.
—Maggie Slepian, Outside, 26 Jan. 2026
The Tigers were probably pleasantly surprised by their 2024 run into the playoffs.
—Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2026
Watch a silly movie, play a game with no stakes, or have a conversation that stays pleasantly superficial.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026
Juliana Shallcross, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Feb. 2026
Original Jurassic Park star Sam Neill was just as pleasantly surprised to see the connection between his character Alan Grant and the latest franchise entry, Jurassic World Rebirth.
—Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Feb. 2026
The chocolate is similarly poor in quality, but the filling is creamy and pleasantly sweet.
—Jolene Thym, Mercury News, 6 Feb. 2026
Even my husband, who’s a hot sleeper, was pleasantly surprised.
—Betsy Cribb Watson, Southern Living, 1 Feb. 2026
The smell is pleasantly fresh too.
—Alanna Martine Kilkeary, Glamour, 27 Jan. 2026
Instead, the pleasantly low price tag comes primarily from a direct sales model, minimal marketing, and simplified aesthetics.
—Maggie Slepian, Outside, 26 Jan. 2026
The Tigers were probably pleasantly surprised by their 2024 run into the playoffs.
—Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2026
Watch a silly movie, play a game with no stakes, or have a conversation that stays pleasantly superficial.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pleasantly
Adverb
-
Caterpillar over Microsoft The Dow’s path to its first close above 50,000 on Friday illustrates this story nicely.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Moreover, the new subdivisions corresponded nicely to a map that Hintiryan and colleagues published in 2016 based on an entirely different technique, which traced connections between the caudoputamen and other regions.—
Amber Dance,
Quanta Magazine,
9 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
The end result will be firm-textured, silky beans deliciously enhanced with the herbs and aromatics that have shared the pot.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
5 Feb. 2026
-
The birria meat was tender and went deliciously with the soft noodles.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
3 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Fortunately, D’Amico and his countrymen are delightfully obstinate in maintaining their traditions.—
Adam Erace,
Travel + Leisure,
6 Feb. 2026
-
This fortified wine, which gets its complex flavor from a blend of botanicals, adds depth to this cocktail, softening the bracing intensity of the base spirit and making for a delightfully smooth drink.—
Martha Stewart,
Martha Stewart,
6 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
The retailer makes some of the best elevated basics out there—think great-fitting T-shirts, comfortable pants, and chic accessories that don’t feel trendy or disposable.—
Chaise Sanders,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Feb. 2026
-
The singing great took a break from rehearsals to talk to The Hollywood Reporter about Bunny’s triumph, the president’s ugly remarks about it, the Beckham family feud that he’s reluctantly been dragged into and his excitement at landing on the Strip.—
Seth Abramovitch,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Rachel Sennott enjoyably cameos as a version of herself who’s a Charli frenemy.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
5 Feb. 2026
-
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,
2 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Dale has state government, education, radio and television experience as well.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 Feb. 2026
-
While traders are trying to cash in on the rally, geopolitical uncertainty persists, boding well for gold prices.—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Acclimating our senses was rooftop breakfast served by a gracious staff who introduced us to Armenian coffee — finely ground into a powder and brewed in a jazzve pot.—
Marlise Kast-Myers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Feb. 2026
-
Ground or tea bags Chaga tea can come in a finely ground powder or extract or pre-packed in tea bags.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
5 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
But despite Harrelson and Marsden’s agreeably give-’em-hell performances, Shock and Awe suffers in comparison not just to All the President’s Men but to 2017’s The Post.—
Will Leitch,
Vulture,
16 Dec. 2025
-
Hitchcock & Herrmann — the alliteration rolls off the tongue almost as agreeably as the collaboration between Alfred Hitchcock and Bernard Herrmann came to fruition in the 1950s and ’60s.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
12 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pleasantly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pleasantly. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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