gladly

American  

[glad-lee] / ˈglæd li /

adverb

1. with happiness, pleasure, or delight; joyfully.

   Thank you for your friendship, which I gladly accept.

2. willingly and readily.

   I will gladly die defending the honor of my fallen brothers.

---

Etymology

Origin of gladly

glad ¹ ( def. ) + -ly

Explanation

If you're more than willing to do something, you'll do it gladly, with enthusiasm. Most people will gladly accept free passes to an amusement park. You can offer something gladly: "I'll gladly give you a ride to the movies tonight." And you can also receive something gladly, with gratitude: "I gladly accept this award on behalf of all the fire jugglers that came before me!" Gladly comes from glad and its root, ghel-, which means "to shine," as in shining with happiness or being radiant with joy.

Example Sentences

Again the reigning successor to George III will be obliged to say nice words about the men his ancestor would gladly have hanged from the nearest tree.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026

Cheng "gladly accepted" the invitation to lead a delegation to China, her party said in a statement, confirming a Xinhua report.

From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026

That was unlike stars such as Betty White or William Shatner, who gladly played into the mocking of their personas and propelled themselves into second careers in the process.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 20, 2026

However, the clank of granite went against them in the seventh, an unfortunate bounce leaving Canada the chance of three, which they gladly took.

From BBC • Feb. 17, 2026

“Do you even care that your friends in the green SUV would have gladly scooped her up?”

From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken

Related Words

• cheerfully
• cheerily
• cordially
• enthusiastically
• freely
• gleefully
• gratefully
• heartily
• readily
• warmly
• willingly