1
a
: in a fortunate manner
It was happily the case that Mr. Crawley was not at home.—
Anthony Trollope
b
: as it fortunately happens
Happily, some boyhood pleasures don't change.—P. A. Witteman
2
archaic
: by chance
3
a
: in a happy manner or state
happily married
… was happily shoveling a plate of ackee … into his mouth …—Zadie Smith
b
: in a very willing way
happily postponed the appointment
4
: in an adequate or fitting manner : successfully
Examples of happily in a Sentence
They have been happily married for 12 years.
They lived happily ever after.
We happily accept credit cards.
Recent Examples on the Web
As long as there is a happily-ever-after for the main characters, both Water signs will be happy to check out the book, proving to be their ultimate beach read of choice in all seasons.
—Lisa Stardust, PEOPLE, 9 Jan. 2026
Exuding warmth invites others to collaborate happily.
—Tarot.com, Chicago Tribune, 8 Jan. 2026
In 2025, Hannah Lewis, associate professor of musicology at UT’s Butler School of Music, happily agreed to play along.
—Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 8 Jan. 2026
Even Kamala Harris — who happily agreed with Biden on just about everything except her own polling numbers — called that a huge mistake.
—Matt K. Lewis, Twin Cities, 7 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for happily
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Cite this Entry
“Happily.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/happily. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
Kids Definition
happily
adverb
hap·pi·ly
ˈhap-ə-lē 
1
: in a fortunate or lucky manner
happily, no one was injured
2
: in a happy manner or state
lived happily ever after
3
: in a fitting, effective, or successful manner
remarks happily worded
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