playful
Americanadjective
-
full of play or fun; sportive; frolicsome.
-
pleasantly humorous or jesting.
a playful remark.
adjective
-
full of high spirits and fun
a playful kitten
-
good-natured and humorous
a playful remark
Other Word Forms
- half-playful adjective
- half-playfully adverb
- half-playfulness noun
- playfully adverb
- playfulness noun
- unplayful adjective
- unplayfully adverb
Etymology
Origin of playful
First recorded in 1200–50, playful is from the Middle English word pleiful. See play, -ful
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.
“Today’s post about ‘banning’ pajamas was another playful nod to day-of-travel fashion debates.
From MarketWatch
“Today’s post about ‘banning’ pajamas was another playful nod to day-of-travel fashion debates.
From MarketWatch
Through some inventive structures and a playful rewiring of romantic tropes going back to Homer, Groff stitches together a portrait of a marriage that she then carefully unravels.
From Los Angeles Times
"Some may look at this incident as being somewhat playful, but it's hard to dissociate what could very easily be construed as animosity toward the police," he said.
From BBC
In some ways she was loud and bossy and not always considerate, but on the other hand she was so full of energy and fun and playful.
From Literature
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.
