gleefully

American

[glee-fuhl-ee] / ˈgli fəl i /

adverb

with exultant, often mischievous joy or delight; merrily.

My little niece snapped a photo of her mama and gleefully showed us the image she just captured.

Other Word Forms

ungleefully adverb

Etymology

Origin of gleefully

First recorded in 1730–40; gleeful ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )

Explanation

When you do something gleefully, you do it in an extremely happy way. If two kids call to each other gleefully across the playground, there's laughter and delight in their voices. Wedding guests might rush gleefully onto the dance floor when the DJ plays a popular song, and a child who is trick or treating for the first time will often gleefully dress in her ghost costume and even more gleefully watch her plastic pumpkin fill with Halloween candy. The adjective gleeful and related noun glee are at the root of gleefully, all of them sharing the Latin root word gliu, "entertainment, mirth, jest, or play."

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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.

Micky Van de Ven's tackle stopped Saka from shooting but Joao Palhinha made a hash of clearing and Eze gleefully slotted home from 12 yards.

From Barron's • Feb. 22, 2026

Sometimes perspectives shift within a page, within a scene, moving rapidly and gleefully between points of view, and using that omniscient voice to steer us around — that was fun.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 13, 2026

MILAN—In a gleefully kitschy Opening Ceremony that featured ancient Romans, dancing espresso pots and a number by Mariah Carey, Italy threw open its arms to welcome the entire world to the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 6, 2026