Sentences with playful

Playful Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

play·​ful ˈplā-fəl 

1

: full of play : frolicsome, sportive

a playful kitten

2

: humorous, jocular

playfully

ˈplā-fə-lē 

adverb

playfulness noun

Synonyms

• antic
• coltish
• elfish
• fay
• frisky
• frolicsome
• larky
• rollicking
• sportful
• sportive

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 

Example Sentences

She's an old dog, but she's still very playful. He had a playful expression on his face. a playful tone of voice You're certainly in a playful mood! She gave him a light playful slap on the knee.

Recent Examples on the Web Her dazzling Lorraine Schwartz jewelry and sleek Dolce & Gabbana clutch refined the more playful ensemble. Christian Allaire, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2022 From the eyepiece of the camera, Alpert talks with his subjects; in the film’s more playful moments, some seem to be performing for the camera. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2022 The less aggressive Sport mode, which owners are more likely to choose on the street, provides a more playful character, with more freedom to influence cornering lines with throttle inputs. Mike Duff, Car and Driver, 17 Oct. 2022 The book is a massively dazzling celebration of fandom as an art form — playful, affectionate, slightly unhinged. Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 13 Oct. 2022 The patchwork faux fur is simultaneously handsome, playful, and sophisticated. Mike Richard, Men's Health, 19 Sep. 2022 Her songs can be conversational, playful, dark as hell or all the above. Matt Wake | [email protected], al, 6 Sep. 2022 The Ukrainian Levkoy is smart, playful, and gets along well with other pets. Elizabeth Berry, Woman's Day, 6 Sep. 2022 Marilyn’s public presence was playful, seductive, and purposeful. Lena Dunham, Vogue, 30 Aug. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'playful. ' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of playful was in the 13th century

See more words from the same century

Dictionary Entries Near

play forward

playful

playgirl

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Cite this Entry

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“Playful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www. merriam-webster.com/dictionary/playful. Accessed 17 Nov. 2022.

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Kids Definition

playful

play·​ful ˈplā-fəl 

1

: full of play : fond of playing

a playful kitten

2

: humorous

a playful tone of voice

playfully

-fə-lē 

adverb

playfulness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on

Nglish: Translation of playful for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of playful for Arabic Speakers

Last Updated: 8 Nov 2022 - Updated example sentences

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nugatory

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Use playful in a sentence

playful

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The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

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Also Mentioned In

• nymph
• playfully
• muck-about
• Easter egg
• dab¹
• scamp¹
• fan·cy
• frisk
• sauc·y
• Hacking
• rogu·ish
• bastard

Words near playful in the Dictionary

• play full
• play-for-a-fool
• play-for-love
• play-for-time
• playfought
• playframe
• playfriend
• playful
• playfull
• playfuller
• playfully
• playfulness

Sentences with "playful"

We found 46 sentences with "playful". Synonyms for playful. Meaning of the word. Characters. "playful" - morphemic analysis.

• Harmless playful the wind here suddenly turns into a furious hurricane.
• Both were married, had children and playful disposition.
• If not, playful Trickster, your personal Harlequin, will plunge you into another garbage pit, no doubt about it.
• His eyes burned with a sinister, playful light, his raw music broke down barriers, and his lyrics masterfully described American life in the 50s.
• He was the youngest of the comrades in our number, playful and playful, like a child.
• At the age of four, he was an entertainer of all kinds of children's games, sometimes without restraint playful , a constant hunter for all sorts of fairy tales and stories.
• Along with the typical ones such as "Weasel", "Squirrel", "Baby", "Redhead", " Playful ”, “Berkut”, “Gypsy”, etc., there were also unusual ones.
• He had some kind of his own world, solemn and grandiloquent or awkwardly playful , not at all transparent, old-fashioned and proud.
• Friendly laughter rang out from the trench, then the harmonica played a playful tune .
• The crew was no longer tuned in to a jokingly playful tone, concentrated faces spoke of great inner tension.
• However, no matter how grateful the son was, the discord already seemed to come out, although he only wore playful character.
• Complete carelessness in clothes suggests that her owner deliberately chose such an outfit: very cool and partly playful .
• The playful wind carried flocks of debris, stunted sparse trees gave off little oxygen, so it was difficult to breathe.
• Playful a stream of frivolous hairpins appears literally from nowhere.
• They playfully kiss, embarrassed when one of the reporters asks for another kiss for his newspaper.
• Opposite the solid, but playfully in appearance of Zheleznyak's house is an even more solid and imperial house on the corner of Gogol and Sabaneev bridge.
• Today you are some kind of playfully - cheerful and at the same time reservedly collected.
• Wayne playfully slapped my face several times and then pulled me to my feet.
• So timidly that the brothers did not understand anything, playfully shouting something in response, sailed even further.
• Playfully Sasha walked around the porch, waving his hammer and practicing artistic gestures.
• Academician playfully winked at Lera, and, like a girl, patted me on the back of the neck.
• Similar thoughts, albeit not so playfully formulated, occurred to other people as well.
• The Czechs laughed heartily, playfully pushing a young swarthy girl towards the tank.
• https://sinonim.org/
• The voice sounded deliberately loud and undisguised playfully .
• Raul chuckled and playfully winked at Anna.
• Rodzianko playfully introduced himself to the boy: "The biggest and fattest man in Russia."
• I, for example, could stroke his cheek, and he playfully slapped my behind when I got into the saddle after another stop.
• All this he did not for the sake of the effect of recitation, but simply from the playful mood and the actor's streak that wandered in it.
• In fact, the poem "Platonism" is addressed to a certain Lidinka and is rather playfully in content.
• It used to belong to the star of the gypsy romance Vyaltseva and was very playfully upholstered in sky-blue silk.
• It was not serious to count on the fact that they would begin to sob from the playful -salon "I inhaled to my heart's content with the trench potion".
• At ease and slightly playfully she rested her chin on her folded hands.
• With his daughter Svetlana, however, Stalin was at first affectionate, even playfully called her Mistress, Satanka.
• They jumped powerfully, a little playfully and even showed their tails a little coquettishly.
• And when you smooth them to silk, long hair looks feminine and playful .
• Too playfully I said about the company.
• At the same time, Kostya, winking playfully , bowed to me, pressing his hand to his heart.
• The horse, playfully neighing, tilted his head and gently nibbled on the boy's shoulder.
• At the “Maiden Kazarin” (that's how was playfully called the Danish pink) they fired cannons without rest, the lieutenant celebrated his name day.
• The attraction of the sexes, in which playful contemptuous hatred is laid down from childhood, cannot be positive and harmonious.
• Laughed playfully and walked along the path home, wagging her hips.
• This playfully villainous procedure was his signature number on the path to personal pinnacle of power.
• When she saw how Wallis playfully patted the prince's hand when he took a lettuce leaf with his fingers, she realized that she was superfluous there.
• Unfortunately, her choice fell on a very playfully poet, whose extremely obscene writings were not recommended to everyone.
• And so, having made the last dash, we crossed the square, playfully rounded the Pillar of Alexandria and went to the Hermitage.
• Bolt ran easily, playfully and even playfully.