happily

happily

English

Etymology

From Middle English happily, happyly, happyliche, happylyche, equivalent to happy +‎ -ly.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈhæp.ə.li/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈhæp.ə.li/

  • Audio (US)

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• Homophone: aptly (in some h-dropping accents)

Adverb

happily (comparative more happily, superlative most happily)

1. In a happy or cheerful manner; with happiness.
   • 1719 April 25​, [Daniel Defoe], The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, […], 3rd edition, London: […] W[illiam] Taylor […], published 1719, OCLC 838630407, page 311:

     And thus I have given the first part of a life of fortune and adventure, a life of Providence's chequer-work, and of a variety which the world will seldom be able to shew the like of: beginning foolishly, but closing much more happily than any part of it ever gave me leave so much as to hope for.

2. By good chance; fortunately, successfully.
   • 1953, Samuel Beckett, Watt, Olympia Press:

     Watt wore, on his feet, a boot, brown in colour, and a shoe, happily of a brownish colour also.

3. With good will; in all happiness; willingly.

   Synonym: gladly

   I will happily help you look for your lost wallet.

4. (archaic) By chance; perhaps.

   Synonym: haply

   • 1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 12, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], OCLC 946730821:

     And who knoweth whether a thousand yeares hence a third opinion will rise, which happily shall overthrow these two precedents?

Translations

by good chance, fortunately

Bulgarian: за щастие (za štastie) Catalan: feliçment (ca), afortunadament (ca) Chinese: Mandarin: 幸运地 (zh) (xìngyùn de) Czech: se štěstím Finnish: onneksi (fi) French: heureusement (fr), par bonheur (fr) German: glücklicherweise (de) Hungarian: szerencsére (hu) Italian: fortunatamente (it) Japanese: 運良く (うんよく, un'yoku) Latin: feliciter Norman: heûtheusement Polish: szczęśliwie (pl) Portuguese: felizmente (pt) Russian: к сча́стью (k sčástʹju) Sanskrit: स्वस्ति (sa) (svasti) Spanish: afortunadamente (es) Ukrainian: на ща́стя (na ščástja)

in a happy manner

Arabic: بِسَعَادَة‎ (bi-saʿāda) Bulgarian: щастливо (bg) (štastlivo) Burmese: ပျော်ပျော် (pyau-pyau) Catalan: feliçment (ca), alegrement (ca) Chinese: Mandarin: 快樂地 (zh), 快乐地 (zh) (kuàilè de) Czech: šťastně (cs), blaze (cs) Finnish: onnellisesti French: joyeusement (fr), gaiement (fr) German: glücklich (de), glücklicherweise (de), fröhlich (de) Gothic: 𐌲𐌰𐌱𐌰𐌿𐍂𐌾𐌰𐌱𐌰 (gabaurjaba) Hindi: सुखपूर्वक (hi) (sukhpūrvak), ख़ुशी से (xuśī se) Hungarian: boldogan (hu), örömmel (hu) Italian: felicemente (it) Japanese: 楽しく (たのしく, tanoshiku) Kurdish: Central Kurdish: بەخۆشی‎ (bexoşî) Latin: laetē Polish: szczęśliwie (pl) Portuguese: alegremente (pt), felizmente (pt) Russian: сча́стливо (ru) (sčástlivo), счастли́во (ru) (sčastlívo) Serbo-Croatian: Cyrillic: радо Roman: sretno (sh) Slovak: šťastne Spanish: felizmente (es), alegremente (es), dichosamente (es) Swedish: glatt (sv) Telugu: సుఖముగా (te) (sukhamugā) Ukrainian: щасли́во (uk) (ščaslývo)

willingly

Bulgarian: с удоволствие (s udovolstvie) Chinese: Mandarin: 欣然地 (zh) (xīnrán de) Czech: ochotně Finnish: halukkaasti (fi) French: volontiers (fr) German: bereitwillig (de), gerne (de) Hungarian: szívesen (hu) Italian: volentieri (it) Japanese: 快く (こころよく, kokoroyoku) Latin: libenter, prolixe, propense, sponte, grate Portuguese: de bom grado Russian: с ра́достью (ru) (s rádostʹju), с удово́льствием (ru) (s udovólʹstvijem), охо́тно (ru) (oxótno) Serbo-Croatian: с радошћу, са задовљством Slovak: rád m, rada f Spanish: de buena gana Swedish: gladeligen (sv) Ukrainian: ра́до (rádo), із задово́ленням (iz zadovólennjam)