as in amusing
given to good-natured joking or teasing
the little girl was lighthearted and playful
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of playful
Through a playful yet serious, if not tragic, way of narrating society and its incongruences, Birgit Jürgenssen and Cinzia Ruggeri reflect on clothes and accessories as a way to express identity but also as a tool to analyze the societal and physical spaces occupied by women.
—
Photovogue, Vogue, 21 Feb. 2025
At the time of writing, the viral TikTok video has amassed over 3,200 comments as internet users lauded the playful Velcro dog.
—Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 21 Feb. 2025
The asymmetrical skirt front and exposed shorts back on this style are fresh and playful.
—Victoria Montalti, refinery29.com, 20 Feb. 2025
Mike was a Sagittarius: adventurous, open-minded, playful, spontaneous, and reluctant to commit to anything.
—Erika W. Smith, Vogue, 11 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for playful
Photovogue, Vogue, 21 Feb. 2025
At the time of writing, the viral TikTok video has amassed over 3,200 comments as internet users lauded the playful Velcro dog.
—Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 21 Feb. 2025
The asymmetrical skirt front and exposed shorts back on this style are fresh and playful.
—Victoria Montalti, refinery29.com, 20 Feb. 2025
Mike was a Sagittarius: adventurous, open-minded, playful, spontaneous, and reluctant to commit to anything.
—Erika W. Smith, Vogue, 11 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for playful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for playful
Adjective
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Needless to say, TikTok users couldn't cope with the amusing video, and it's already generated mor than 2,200 comments online.—
Alyce Collins,
Newsweek,
20 Feb. 2025
-
To the latter, watching Shauna blankly absorb an update about her daughter dumping a bag of animal guts onto a bully at school is both amusing and frustrating.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
18 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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About 24 hours later, the mischievous feline found her forever home.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
14 Feb. 2025
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That fierce jaw, those full lips, the upper one bowed and sweet — at odds with the mischievous grin tugging at its corners.—
Lizz Schumer,
People.com,
13 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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The documentary can be irksome, and its chronology a touch confusing, but Spiegelman is an entertaining interlocutor, and so are many of the artists and critics who testify to his greatness here.—
Manohla Dargis,
New York Times,
20 Feb. 2025
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There was also the potential for an entertaining scenario in which Canada might have pulled its goalie in regulation if it was tied late against Finland.—
Michael Russo,
The Athletic,
20 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Riverdale In Riverdale, outside Village Hall, there was a lively scene Tuesday afternoon as members of Michael Airhart’s mayoral campaign were ordered to remove their campaign signs from a median.—
Samantha Moilanen,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Feb. 2025
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Around the room’s standing tables and plush, blush-pink lounge seats, friends, castmates, and both new and familiar faces engaged in lively conversation.—
Jamila Stewart,
Vogue,
24 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Now Quentin and his merry band of murderous gays are dead by her hand, presumably leaving Greg to enjoy an undivided inheritance of $500 million.—
Judy Berman,
TIME,
17 Feb. 2025
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In the Hollywood version, Julie Andrews plays the adorable Maria opposite Christopher Plummer’s dashing captain, leading their merry band of children out of Austria on the cusp of the Second World War.—
Vogue,
Vogue,
15 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Able to be goofy, which is the opposite of what a lot of Black women are portrayed as on television.—
Angelique Jackson,
Variety,
23 Feb. 2025
-
Image Wood’s critique — the way technology has left us prone to dysfunctional loneliness — is trenchant, but his approach is fundamentally goofy.—
Ismail Muhammad,
New York Times,
20 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Meanwhile, the longer, bigger flares may occur due to magnetic reconnection events, or when two different magnetic fields collide near the black hole and release energetic particles moving near the speed of light.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN,
19 Feb. 2025
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The collection includes portraits of McCartney’s bandmates—John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr—as well as evocative self-portraits and energetic scenes captured through car windows as the band navigated the chaos of their newfound fame.—
Daniel Cassady,
ARTnews.com,
19 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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It’s got the loose, frisky feel that none of the many Band imitators found a way to copy.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
21 Jan. 2025
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Expect particularly frisky bison and elk, which begin to migrate north for summer around this time.—
Tanvi Chheda,
AFAR Media,
17 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Playful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/playful. Accessed 1 Mar. 2025.
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