adverb
-
in a jaunty or high-spirited manner
-
in a light or delicate manner
Other Word Forms
- unairily adverb
Etymology
Origin of airily
First recorded in 1760–70; see airy, -ly ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
This led me to be very wary of people airily predicting that democracy was finished, and made me alive to the way that, paradoxically, such nightmares can actually damage democracy.
From Salon • May 7, 2025
Johnson talked of “our concerns with the governance of the state of California,” which he airily blamed for “complicity ... in the scope of disaster.”
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 5, 2025
He was kidding on the square about being a streaming hoarder, and he’s got company among fellow celebrities, including those who used to airily claim they had time to make TV but not watch it.
From Seattle Times • Sep. 2, 2021
They complain, as many people in their age cohort do, rather airily about “capitalism.”
From Slate • Sep. 1, 2021
“Coincidence,” said Hermione airily, pouring herself some pumpkin juice.
From "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
