playful

[pley-fuhl]

adjective

1. full of play or fun; sportive; frolicsome.

2. pleasantly humorous or jesting.

   a playful remark.

playful

/ ˈpleɪfʊl /

adjective

1. full of high spirits and fun

   a playful kitten

2. good-natured and humorous

   a playful remark

Other Word Forms

• playfully adverb
• playfulness noun
• half-playful adjective
• half-playfully adverb
• half-playfulness noun
• unplayful adjective
• unplayfully adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of playful¹

First recorded in 1200–50, playful is from the Middle English word pleiful. See play, -ful

Example Sentences

The fact that it was a parlor game, not pointillism, that inspired the lyric is proof of Sondheim’s credo that “playful doesn’t mean trivial any more than solemn means serious.”

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His design was playful, full of color and pattern, and without right angles.

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Inspired by cinema setpieces and centuries-old European cottages, architects designed playful homes with turrets and gables on the outside and nooks and crannies on the inside.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

It’s so bright, that nearby walkways will glow red and green and twinkle along with the playful piece of mid-’60s architecture.

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I give Autumn one last playful side-eye, glance once more at the cinnamon rolls, head to the kitchen, and try to break my record for the Fastest Dishwashing Session Ever award.

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Related Words

• cheerful 
• comical 
• flirtatious 
• frisky 
• good-natured 
• impish 
• joking 
• lighthearted 
• lively 
• mischievous 
• spirited 
• sprightly 
• tongue-in-cheek 
• whimsical