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
Etymology
Origin of playful
First recorded in 1200–50, playful is from the Middle English word pleiful. See play, -ful
Explanation
Use the adjective playful to describe someone who likes to have fun and doesn't take things too seriously. A playful kindergarten teacher makes everything seem like a game, even lining up to go outside for recess. A group of cheerful kids playing musical chairs at a birthday party can be called playful, and so can a litter of wiggly puppies. A playful joke might be mischievous, but it's meant in a silly, friendly way. This word has been around since the thirteenth century, in the sense of "full of play." The Old English root word is plegan, which means "frolic, move rapidly, make sport of, or play music."
Vocabulary lists containing playful
In the Mood? 100 Words to Describe Emotions
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ACT Reading Test: Words to Capture Tone, List 6
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Tone and Point of View, List 2
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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.
Evoking classics of the ‘60s and ’70s Latin American boom, the novel is sensual and darkly comic, suffused with the sense that, as Arias writes, “fate was a cruel, playful thing.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026
Haendel asked participants to interact with the objects in playful and investigative ways.
From Los Angeles Times • May 8, 2026
Vigorous, playful and charmingly generous, he became fast friends with most of the talented artists around him, such as Martin Johnson Heade and Jervis McEntee.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026
A short sequence of his encounter with a group of playful mountain gorillas in a forest clearing in Rwanda.
From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026
“And I named our balloon after my favorite poet,” Pater Lumley said, a playful twinkle in his eye.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
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.
