as in amusing
given to good-natured joking or teasing
the little girl was lighthearted and playful
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of playful
The dusty light pink is playful yet mature and can be found on appliances like hand mixers, toasters, and slow cookers.
—
Ali Faccenda, People.com, 17 Jan. 2025
The footage highlights the playful nature of donkeys, often overshadowed by their reputation as stubborn animals.
—Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 17 Jan. 2025
The Lego Duplo Interactive Adventure Train offers a hands-on building experience with moving parts and playful details, while the Lego Friends Beekeepers’ House and Flower Garden is a hit with nature lovers.
—Jacquelyn Smith, Parents, 14 Jan. 2025
The duo of actresses have had a playful rivalry after the Modern Family actress lost her Griselda Emmy nomination to Foster last year.
—Luke Chinman, People.com, 6 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for playful 
Ali Faccenda, People.com, 17 Jan. 2025
The footage highlights the playful nature of donkeys, often overshadowed by their reputation as stubborn animals.
—Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 17 Jan. 2025
The Lego Duplo Interactive Adventure Train offers a hands-on building experience with moving parts and playful details, while the Lego Friends Beekeepers’ House and Flower Garden is a hit with nature lovers.
—Jacquelyn Smith, Parents, 14 Jan. 2025
The duo of actresses have had a playful rivalry after the Modern Family actress lost her Griselda Emmy nomination to Foster last year.
—Luke Chinman, People.com, 6 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for playful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for playful
Adjective
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The comedy is very much a love letter to South L.A., offering pointed and amusing commentary on gentrification.—
Jessica Wang,
EW.com,
16 Jan. 2025
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The film centers on Clémence, a quiet yet amusing Parisian, who had a complicated childhood.—
Leo Barraclough,
Variety,
10 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Travelers in search of mischievous chimps will soon be able to stay at River Station, an eco-chic camp built by Wildplaces Africa near Kyambura, while Great Lakes Safaris is constructing Padibi Lodge on the site of a former Jane Goodall research center in Budongo.—
Alexandra Owens,
Robb Report,
23 Jan. 2025
-
The video, which went viral on TikTok, shows Brandon cheekily explaining his mischievous plan.—
Ashley Vega,
People.com,
21 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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But how much of that commentary, wonders James Adomian, was actually entertaining?—
Julie Seabaugh,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Jan. 2025
-
The memoirs of former national leaders are rarely entertaining, insightful, or revealing.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
14 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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From Ali’s perspective, this story is a quintessential Black ‘Dena story: eco-conscious, family orientated, spiritually vibrant, and lively — even in death.—
Keyaira Kelly,
refinery29.com,
16 Jan. 2025
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Grover Grover is a lively and enthusiastic blue monster who loves exploring and going on new adventures.—
Casey Clark,
Parents,
16 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Our gift to you: have yourself a merry little moment with giant pandas Bao Li and Qing Bao.—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
24 Jan. 2025
-
The American musical before 1927 had been light stuff—part operetta, part revue—a merry playground for sparklers like George M. Cohan and Cole Porter.—
Helen Shaw,
The New Yorker,
21 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Ultimately, while The Substance got off to an intriguing start, the majority of the film and especially its goofy ending was mostly cheap shock value and amateurish satire built on the flimsiest premise imaginable.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes,
18 Jan. 2025
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Comedian and host Conan O’Brien was named the newest recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for lifetime achievement in comedy on Thursday. O’Brien, 61, has carved out an improbable decades-long career arc, moving from goofy television interloper to comedic elder statesman.—
Ashraf Khalil,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The model of leaning on external policing, rather than paid fact-checking, takes a page from the policies adopted by X under the control of Elon Musk, who bought the platform formerly known as Twitter in 2022 and has since emerged as one of Trump’s most energetic — and influential — supporters.—
Mike Lillis,
The Hill,
9 Jan. 2025
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The tone of the film also matched Aubrey so much as an artist, and her energetic match was so perfect to me.—
Brian Davids,
The Hollywood Reporter,
9 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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But Gunn cautions that this kind of frisky boundary-pushing won’t be a part of every DC Studios project.—
Adam B. Vary,
Variety,
4 Dec. 2024
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But Julia offered a different response to watching Gino getting frisky with Jasmine.—
Abigail Adams,
People.com,
22 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near playful
Cite this Entry
“Playful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/playful. Accessed 29 Jan. 2025.
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