playful
full of play or fun; sportive; frolicsome.
pleasantly humorous or jesting: a playful remark.
Origin of playful
1Other words from playful
- play·ful·ly, adverb
- play·ful·ness, noun
- half-playful, adjective
- half-play·ful·ly, adverb
- half-play·ful·ness, noun
- un·play·ful, adjective
- un·play·ful·ly, adverb
Words Nearby playful
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use playful in a sentence
You can really just talk about you’re playful together in this dyad.
Forget Everything You Know About Your Dog (Ep. 436) | Stephen J. Dubner | October 22, 2020 | FreakonomicsHe is at once ambitious with serious ideas, while maintaining a playful side.
To Boldly Go Where No Internet Protocol Has Gone Before | Susan D'Agostino | October 21, 2020 | Quanta MagazineThis month, we celebrate the playful genius of the famous British mathematician with two puzzles and an exploratory game.
Celebrating the Playful Magic of John Horton Conway | Pradeep Mutalik | October 15, 2020 | Quanta MagazineIt wasn’t playful but intentional, pointed and meant to be instructive.
Rupert Everett reminds us homophobia persists in Hollywood | John Paul King | October 10, 2020 | Washington BladeIt’s this OB-4 “magic radio” from Teenage Engineering, a design group that creates tech with a playful but premium approach.
Teenage Engineering’s OB-4 ‘magic radio’ is a weird and beautiful wireless speaker | Devin Coldewey | October 1, 2020 | TechCrunch
playful and gory, the cartoonish paintings of Dee Dee Ramone, bassist for The Ramones, are every bit as shocking as their creator.
‘All Good Cretins Go to Heaven’: Dee Dee Ramone’s Twisted Punk Paintings | Melissa Leon | December 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST“Highly inquisitive, highly playful, always cheerful,” he recalls.
For Next AG, Obama Picks a Quiet Fighter With a Heavy Punch | Michael Daly | November 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTA study in American military control, a haunting sui generis novel, and a playful new short story collection.
As that clip played, Camille leaned over and gave her husband a playful poke in the ribs.
Why Comedians Still Think Bill Cosby Is a Genius | Mark Whitaker | October 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTTheir playful exhibitions are often meant to be interactive and instill a childlike sense of joy in the viewer.
They were very playful and inclined to talk—to do anything but lie quiet and go to sleep.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories | Kate ChopinAway in the meadows the lights of his men's torches darted hither and thither like playful jack-o'-lanterns.
St. Martin's Summer | Rafael SabatiniThen he said with a playful sadness: "A moment ago you were not completely innocent of irony, were you?"
Mrs. Falchion, Complete | Gilbert ParkerDo not be fond of shewing my letter; the playful effusions of friendship would be construed by strangers as gross vanity.
Private Letters of Edward Gibbon (1753-1794) Volume 1 (of 2) | Edward GibbonI saw Mary Belle transformed from an ordinary playful scamp of a lamb to a primped and perfect darling of the show-ring.
The Red Cow and Her Friends | Peter McArthur
British Dictionary definitions for playful
/ (ˈpleɪfʊl) /
full of high spirits and fun: a playful kitten
good-natured and humorous: a playful remark
Derived forms of playful
- playfully, adverb
- playfulness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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