happily

American

[hap-uh-lee] / ˈhæp ə li /

adverb

in a happy manner; with pleasure.
by good fortune; providentially; luckily.
felicitously; appropriately; aptly.

a happily turned phrase.

happily Idioms

see live happily ever after.

Other Word Forms

overhappily adverb

Etymology

Origin of happily

A Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; happy, -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.

It would be an easy win to cast Gellar in a reskin of one of her renowned characters, but “Ready or Not 2” happily doesn’t play it so safe.

From Salon • Mar. 26, 2026

Harry Redknapp has said he would happily take a call from Spurs despite being sacked as manager in June 2012.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

Seldom does an institution’s form so happily capture its character.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

These female strangers share a moment of such sincere human connection that I would have happily watched a dozen more scenes of the two women leaning on each other while they endure their hard-luck lives.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 12, 2026

Roz felt funny accepting help from a robot, but Brightbill happily soaked up the attention.

From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023