thankfully
Britishadverb
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showing gratitude or appreciation
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informal fortunately
thankfully she was not injured
Usage
The use of thankfully to mean fortunately was formerly considered incorrect by many people, but has now become acceptable in informal contexts
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.
The rest of the world, thankfully, has stopped listening.
From Salon • May 16, 2026
"Rescue operations lasted more than 28 hours, 30 people were thankfully saved due to the tireless efforts of our emergency workers," she said on social media.
From Barron's • May 15, 2026
"Everyone was quickly rescued and, thankfully, is safe and sound," she added in a post on Facebook.
From BBC • Apr. 30, 2026
The worst-case military scenarios thankfully have been far off.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026
Dee’s family also lived on the West Side, but thankfully they almost never crossed paths with Nok’s parents.
From "A Wish in the Dark" by Christina Soontornvat
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.
