playful

adjective

ˈplā-fəl How to pronounce playful (audio)
Definition of playfulnext
as in amusing
given to good-natured joking or teasing the little girl was lighthearted and playful

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 playful The bar program is playful, colorful and communal — expect to see a little something for everyone. — Blair Crosby, AJC.com, 5 July 2026 The elevated loft is the fourth sleeping zone of the home, and is designated as the children’s quarters, giving the cabin a playful, camp-like feel. — Bridget Borgobello july 03, New Atlas, 4 July 2026 The playful exchange is the latest glimpse into the couple's famously candid relationship. — Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 5 July 2026 Best Hotels & Resorts Americana Motor Hotel The playful design scheme of the Americana Motor Hotel is impossible to ignore. — Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 3 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for playful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for playful
  1. amusing
  2. mischievous
  3. entertaining
  4. lively
  5. merry
  6. goofy
  7. frisky
  8. energetic
Adjective
  • Cavill, absent from the proceedings for long stretches, remains a sturdy presence as the most buff screen Sherlock ever, while Helena Bonham Carter is again reliably amusing as Enola and Sherlock’s sardonic mother Eudoria.
    — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 30 June 2026
  • Elmosnino is an amusing villain, making his most self-serving machinations sound reasonable.
    — Television Critic, Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2026
Definition of amusing
Adjective
  • The bride and groom both wore custom Christian Dior looks designed by Jonathan Anderson, who’s known for elaborate, mischievous designs.
    — Zoe Sottile, CNN Money, 4 July 2026
  • Months after Scary Movie's release, Abrahams starred as the mischievous Denny Byrnes in Meet the Parents (2000).
    — Skyler Trepel, Entertainment Weekly, 27 June 2026
Definition of mischievous
Adjective
  • New reads abound for your vacation tote throughout the weeks of July, with fiction picks featuring a Carnival cruise casualty, a highly entertaining jewel heist at the Waldorf-Astoria, and a Soviet-era madcap adventure.
    — Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026
  • And that’s the question that underlies much of what’s onscreen in this perplexing, entertaining, frustrating picture.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 1 July 2026
Definition of entertaining
Adjective
  • Vibrant banners will fill the land alongside lively Spanish music.
    — Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 2 July 2026
  • On East Passyunk Avenue, Supérette is a lively French wine bar, market and bottle shop where rosé and pastis are enjoyed with snacks like duck prosciutto and raclette sandwiches.
    — Regan Stephens, New York Times, 2 July 2026
Definition of lively
Adjective
  • Some may argue that the more the merrier applies as much to advocacy for social justice as to anything else.
    — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 28 June 2026
  • When former President Barack Obama addressed the massive, merry crowd at the Obama Presidential Center dedication ceremony on June 18, a few lines landed like a balm.
    — Heidi Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 26 June 2026
Definition of merry
Adjective
  • Margaret, what the president said is just goofy word salad.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 28 June 2026
  • As Buffy’s bafoonish brother, Dave Sheridan played an unlikely killer (though Doofy GIlmore ends up being far less goofy than originally expected).
    — Skyler Trepel, Entertainment Weekly, 27 June 2026
Definition of goofy
Adjective
  • If the Marbella Club is the grande dame of this Andalusian resort town, Puente Romano Marbella is its younger, friskier sister on the Golden Mile.
    — Staff Author, Travel + Leisure, 2 July 2026
  • Music, in fact, punctuates the intense dramatic story arcs in Wilde’s third directorial feature, an Edward Albee-like relationship dramedy set around a frisky dinner get-together between two couples in a San Francisco apartment building.
    — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 1 July 2026
Definition of frisky
Adjective
  • Work with Your Design Style A color this bright and energetic couldn’t possibly be versatile, too, right?
    — Patricia Shannon, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 July 2026
  • Brazil were energetic and vertical, Vinicius Junior and Rayan stretched their opponents and Gabriel Martinelli’s stoppage-time winner was just reward.
    — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 4 July 2026
Definition of energetic

Browse Nearby Words

playfellows
playful
playfully
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Cite this Entry

“Playful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/playful. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on playful

Nglish: Translation of playful for Spanish Speakers

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