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Synonyms

genially

American  
[jeen-yuh-lee, jee-nee-uh-lee] / ˈdʒin yə li, ˈdʒi ni ə li /

adverb

  1. in a pleasantly cheerful or cordial way.

    As the dishes were passed around, we quibbled genially over whether to use two tortillas or one per taco.

Etymology

Origin of genially

genial 1 ( def. ) + -ly

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.

Partisanship was in many ways alien to Cowley’s probing and genially learned critical temperament, which Mr. Howard describes as “Emersonian, humanistic, exploratory.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 7, 2025

“It’s awesome — a loving, dysfunctional family,” Eggers says genially of his team.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 3, 2024

For an institution that is supposed to chunter away genially in the background, it has been quite in-your-face for a while now.

From BBC • May 5, 2023

Recent tradition, no matter the party affiliation, has had the current president genially hosting his immediate predecessor for the unveiling - as Clinton did for George H.W.

From Washington Times • Sep. 2, 2022

Sofia smiles genially, even though her eyes tell a different story.

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

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.