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)

    (file)

• 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 May 6 (Gregorian calendar), [Daniel Defoe], The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, […], 3rd edition, London: […] W[illiam] Taylor […], published 1719, →OCLC, 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:

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

Derived terms

• happily ever after

Translations

by good chance, fortunately

• Bulgarian: за щастие (za štastie)
• Catalan: feliçment (ca), afortunadament (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 幸运地／幸运 (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-saʕāda)
• Bulgarian: щастливо (bg) (štastlivo)
• Burmese: ပျော်ပျော် (pyau-pyau)
• Catalan: feliçment (ca), alegrement (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 快樂地／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)