archly
Americanadverb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of archly
Explanation
If you say something archly, you express it in a teasing sort of way. When someone acts archly toward you, it might offend you a bit, or it might make you laugh. You act archly when you put on an affected style of speech, or say something that's playfully sarcastic. You might archly dismiss a teacher's criticism of your work or smile archly as you tease a friend. The adverb comes from the 1500s adjective arch, which originally meant "chief," but was so often used to describe a "knave" or "rogue" that by the 17th century it came to mean "mischievous" or "saucy."
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.
She failed to find a kindred spirit in Dudevant, whom Ms. Sampson archly describes as a man of “no particular brilliance.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
“They’re all comedies,” Stone says, archly, looking for Lanthimos’ reaction to her assessment of his oeuvre.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 5, 2026
As Ganz archly observed, “the word for the politics that makes a pastiche of past glories to create a new type of regime is ‘fascism.'”
From Salon ● Sep. 10, 2025
"Politics is an art not a science," one senior figure observed rather archly of those analysts, suggesting read acrosses from local elections to a general election can be overdone.
From BBC ● May 5, 2023
“Oh! I thought you was kidding,” she said archly.
From "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck
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.
