as in friskily
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Recent Examples of playfully
Doncic playfully slapped Maxi Kleber on the back of the head when Kleber was shooting during a Game 4 timeout.
—
Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2026
Penguins darted beneath us, marine iguanas grazed on algae, and sea lions twirled playfully in the water.
—David Morris, Travel + Leisure, 26 Apr. 2026
Jurassic Burger opened in the mall’s food court, offering playfully named items like Pterodactyl Nuggets, Petrified Onion Rings and the T-Rex Supreme burger ($13).
—Chadd Cripe. Produced With Ai Assistance, Idaho Statesman, 25 Apr. 2026
Speaking of spikes, over at the megalith design exhibition Alcova, CJ Aslan – founder of fashion brand ASLAN WORLD – presents a chair and ottoman covered in a sea of sharp stainless steel ones, interspersed playfully with gemstones.
—Francesca Perry, CNN Money, 24 Apr. 2026
The result is layered and balanced, a dish that playfully unites a region long defined by the debate of who does it best.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
Toward the end of the session, Reichardt briefly turned to the question of fiction and nonfiction, playfully addressing Visions du Réel artistic director Emilie Bujès, who has argued that Reichardt’s work challenges that boundary.
—Lise Pedersen, Variety, 22 Apr. 2026
The video closed with footage of the them playfully cozying up on a table.
—Brenton Blanchet, PEOPLE, 21 Apr. 2026
Brown, 56, playfully picked up the phone and spoke into it, while giving a lecture on reporters' need to keep their phones muted.
—Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 20 Apr. 2026
Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2026
Penguins darted beneath us, marine iguanas grazed on algae, and sea lions twirled playfully in the water.
—David Morris, Travel + Leisure, 26 Apr. 2026
Jurassic Burger opened in the mall’s food court, offering playfully named items like Pterodactyl Nuggets, Petrified Onion Rings and the T-Rex Supreme burger ($13).
—Chadd Cripe. Produced With Ai Assistance, Idaho Statesman, 25 Apr. 2026
Speaking of spikes, over at the megalith design exhibition Alcova, CJ Aslan – founder of fashion brand ASLAN WORLD – presents a chair and ottoman covered in a sea of sharp stainless steel ones, interspersed playfully with gemstones.
—Francesca Perry, CNN Money, 24 Apr. 2026
The result is layered and balanced, a dish that playfully unites a region long defined by the debate of who does it best.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
Toward the end of the session, Reichardt briefly turned to the question of fiction and nonfiction, playfully addressing Visions du Réel artistic director Emilie Bujès, who has argued that Reichardt’s work challenges that boundary.
—Lise Pedersen, Variety, 22 Apr. 2026
The video closed with footage of the them playfully cozying up on a table.
—Brenton Blanchet, PEOPLE, 21 Apr. 2026
Brown, 56, playfully picked up the phone and spoke into it, while giving a lecture on reporters' need to keep their phones muted.
—Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 20 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for playfully
Adverb
-
On her Instagram Story, the As Ever founder shared an accompanying video which, according to People, features a voice that’s likely Lilibet’s animatedly speaking towards the end of the clip, as the waves rolled in.—
Rachel Burchfield,
InStyle,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Mangione wore beige prison clothing to the hearing and spoke animatedly with his defense team.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
30 Jan. 2026
Adverb
-
Still, while these surfaces are clearly meant to reflect deeper emotional and cultural truths, Coppola’s mining of them is done glancingly, airily.—
Naomi Fry,
New Yorker,
21 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
And the queen’s violent enforcement of her dominance is energetically costly and can lead to injuries, according to the researchers.—
Jeanna Bryner,
Scientific American,
15 Apr. 2026
-
The unanticipated consequences of transformational change are energetically explored in Jude’s films.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
The song's interplay between choir and orchestra is buoyantly euphoric, opening a door to bolder, more intentionally progressive and soulful sounds in the country's mainstream.—
Marcus K. Dowling,
The Tennessean,
2 May 2025
Adverb
-
The taut nail-biter is well-acted, crafted with skill and briskly paced, running a tight 95 minutes.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Under the direction and choreography of Christopher Gattelli, the show moves briskly, with energetic staging that embraces the heightened reality of its setting.—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
21 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
The horse, not sensing any guidance on its ribcage, begins to move skittishly in tight, concentric circles.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Feb. 2026
-
While skittishly edited, the film nevertheless builds up Faithfull’s biography in basic chronological order.—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
31 Aug. 2025
Adverb
-
The voice cast from the first installment keeps the film lively.—
Zaki Hasan,
San Francisco Chronicle,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Young hunters can also expect pennies, treats and other surprises along the route—enough to keep the afternoon lively.—
Debby Rice,
Mercury News,
24 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Then again, maybe $1,000 just rolls trippingly off the tongue and into Trump’s good graces.—
Stephen Gandel,
The Seattle Times,
3 Feb. 2018
-
One man, whose arrogance and ego lead him trippingly into chaos of his own making, can turn a shining city on the hill into a shadowy, taudry replica of itself. …—
James Hohmann,
Washington Post,
14 July 2017
Cite this Entry
“Playfully.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/playfully. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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