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archly

[ ahrch-lee ]

/ ˈɑrtʃ li /

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adverb

in an arch or roguish manner.

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Origin of archly

First recorded in 1655–65; arch² + -ly

OTHER WORDS FROM archly

un·arch·ly, adverb

Words nearby archly

archive, archivist, archivolt, archliberal, archlute, archly, archness, arch of aorta, arch of foot, arch of palate, archon

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use archly in a sentence

"Sufficient guarantee," said her father, smiling archly as he looked up to his son, whose fair face had coloured deep red.
The Daisy Chain|Charlotte Yonge
When they walked down to the shore she smiled archly at Mayo from under the brim of a very fetching straw poke.
Blow The Man Down|Holman Day
Ah, you profess to love Scotland very much,” said Bertha archly, “but your brother evidently loves it more than you do.
The Norsemen in the West|R.M. Ballantyne
Whereat Miss Tripp laughed archly and playfully shook a daintily gloved finger at him.
And So They Were Married|Florence Morse Kingsley

Nick intimated that he himself was not eager for more people, whereupon Mrs. Gresham rather archly smiled.
The Tragic Muse|Henry James