merrily

adverb

Definition of merrilynext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of merrily Daunt asked merrily, and led me in a zigzag through the parking lot of the Adnams brewery, then out to the bookshop, a chip-shop-size storefront with a blue exterior. — Nathan Heller, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026 For the handful of teams chasing a pennant this month, life rolls merrily along. — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 28 Sep. 2026 American audiences will find out when the director’s West End production, starring Hayley Atwell and Tom Hiddleston as the merrily warring lovers Beatrice and Benedick, arrives on Broadway. — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2026 Ideally one composed of your old, gold, merrily-we-roll-along friends. — Emily Temple, Literary Hub, 26 May 2026 Meanwhile, the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder continue to roll merrily along, seemingly intent on winning every championship in the near future. — Bob Harkins, New York Times, 7 May 2026 This Christmas white cake sings merrily with the tart, citrus flavors of a cherry, orange, and cranberry filling. — Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 1 May 2026 The Ultra Music Festival merrily rolls along in its 26th year Friday through Sunday at Bayfront Park in downtown Miami. — Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 26 Mar. 2026 The sick humor of an inappropriately large insect thrashing on the bed gives way to the morbid humor of the new family of three proceeding merrily with their small lives. — Christine Smallwood, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for merrily
  1. cheerfully
  2. happily
  3. brightly
Adverb
  • Moments after sitting down at an outdoor table, Oppenheim breathes in the ocean air and starts cheerfully free-associating.
    — Alex Barasch, Vulture, 19 Oct. 2026
  • There were hundreds of bikers milling around cheerfully in the showery sunshine and proudly displaying their hogs.
    — Cressida Leyshon, New Yorker, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of cheerfully
Adverb
  • He is surrounded by a parade of savvier comic archetypes — from his urbane, happily rational brother, Beralde (Dylan Baker), to his smart-aleck maid, Toinette (Rachel Bloom, giving eternal side-eye) — who have to either evade or manipulate him.
    — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Joanne and Noah’s happily-ever-after feels more secure than ever this season — what a concept!
    — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of happily
Adverb
  • Heading to their classrooms, children in top hats, crisp white shirts and ties dash up and down a staircase decorated with a riot of brightly colored posters.
    — Julie Bourdin, NPR, 25 Oct. 2026
  • The two venues feel elegant and brightly lit, including a 17th-century hôtel particulier, or mansion, with vaulted stone ceilings on the bottom floor, and an Art Deco building across the Rue du Temple.
    — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of brightly

Browse Nearby Words

mermaids
merrily
merriment
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Merrily.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/merrily. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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