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.

What a thing it would be if America could see this story end happily, constructively.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

Pastas, casseroles, soups—they all live quite happily in that soft, velvety register.

From Salon • Mar. 25, 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

George happily describes “Songs of Douglass & Littell” as a passion project.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2026

But the whole lot of them swam away happily, dots of black on the rolling blue waves surging into the great ocean.

From "The Boy Who Met a Whale" by Nizrana Farook

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