archly

American  

[ahrch-lee] / ˈɑrtʃ li /

adverb

1. in an arch or roguish manner.

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Other Word Forms

• unarchly adverb

Etymology

Origin of archly

First recorded in 1655–65; arch ² + -ly

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

“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

But the film itself seems to refer to it, archly, as several critics have noted: In it, Smith gets slapped by his co-star, Martin Lawrence, and called a “bad boy.”

From New York Times • Jun. 7, 2024

“Why not amuse yourselves at our expense?” he wrote archly.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 22, 2023

And I,” he added archly, “have brought some good news too. The post has came in early!”

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White