1
a
: in a fortunate manner
b
: as it fortunately happens
happily, some boyhood pleasures don't change—
P. A. Witteman
P. A. Witteman2
archaic
: by chance
3
: in a happy manner or state
4
: in an adequate or fitting manner : successfully
Synonyms
Examples of happily in a Sentence
They have been happily married for 12 years.
They lived happily ever after.
We happily accept credit cards.
Recent Examples on the Web
Native bees and honeybees coexist in every corner of our county, happily pollinating our flowers, trees, landscapes, parks and orchards.
—Leah Taylor, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Apr. 2024
The photo shows a young Khloe, Kim and Kourtney Kardashian, in swimsuits, smiling happily, while Kris and Caitlyn Jenner and O.J. and Nicole Brown Simpson stand in the background.
—Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024
But then, having achieved mastery over the Sphere, Phish will happily put it in the past.
—Geoff Edgers, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024
Cheers to happily ever after and finding love at any stage of life.
—Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 5 Apr. 2024
The star has three daughters from previous relationships: Phoenix, 25, Angel, 16, and Madison, 12.
03 of 05
Geri Halliwell
Geri Halliwell is happily in love.
—Lizzie Hyman, Peoplemag, 3 Apr. 2024
There are plenty of creators out there who would happily work in a YouTube-like advertising revenue system for audio, but Google never bothered to build one.
—David Pierce, The Verge, 2 Apr. 2024
Then there was the time SGE all too happily made up information about something that doesn’t even exist.
—Geoffrey A. Fowler, Washington Post, 1 Apr. 2024
That is such a happily ever after moment of a son who has been missing for 24 years walking through the door.
—Megan Vick, Variety, 1 Apr. 2024
Leah Taylor, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Apr. 2024
The photo shows a young Khloe, Kim and Kourtney Kardashian, in swimsuits, smiling happily, while Kris and Caitlyn Jenner and O.J. and Nicole Brown Simpson stand in the background.
—Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024
But then, having achieved mastery over the Sphere, Phish will happily put it in the past.
—Geoff Edgers, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024
Cheers to happily ever after and finding love at any stage of life.
—Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 5 Apr. 2024
The star has three daughters from previous relationships: Phoenix, 25, Angel, 16, and Madison, 12.
03 of 05
Geri Halliwell
Geri Halliwell is happily in love.
—Lizzie Hyman, Peoplemag, 3 Apr. 2024
There are plenty of creators out there who would happily work in a YouTube-like advertising revenue system for audio, but Google never bothered to build one.
—David Pierce, The Verge, 2 Apr. 2024
Then there was the time SGE all too happily made up information about something that doesn’t even exist.
—Geoffrey A. Fowler, Washington Post, 1 Apr. 2024
That is such a happily ever after moment of a son who has been missing for 24 years walking through the door.
—Megan Vick, Variety, 1 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'happily.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Dictionary Entries Near happily
Cite this Entry
“Happily.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/happily. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
happily
adverb
hap·pi·ly
ˈhap-ə-lē 
1
: in a fortunate or lucky manner
happily, no one was injured
2
: in a happy manner or state
lived happily ever after
3
: in a fitting, effective, or successful manner
remarks happily worded
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