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bly

bly

9.9
Happy and lively in an old-fashioned way
  • adjective
  • Archaic
: alegre
  • He greeted us with a bly smile that brightened the room.

Examples

  • The children were bly as they played in the fields all afternoon.

  • Her bly demeanor brightened everyone's day.

  • Her bly spirit lifted the mood of everyone around her.

  • The children were feeling bly after the picnic.

  • The children were bly as they played in the fields all afternoon.

  • Her bly spirit lifted the mood of everyone around her.

  • He greeted us with a bly smile that brightened the room.

Synonyms

jolly
vsbly
100 1.0

Happy and lively in a friendly way

is milder and often used in older or dialect speech rather than energetic
cheerful
vsbly
99 1.0

Happy in a way you show with a smile or friendly actions

is the same feeling but used especially in old fashioned or dialect speech
blithe
vsbly
6 7.5

Happy and not worried about problems, sometimes seeming not to care

is older or dialectal and simply describes cheerful mood without indifference
chappy
vsbly
  • UK
1 8.1

Happy and full of energy

is similar but carries an old fashioned or dialect nuance in use
brite
vsbly
  • Informal
1 9.2

Cheerful and full of energy

is older or dialectal rather than a modern informal spelling
blithesome
vsbly
  • Archaic
1 9.9

Happy and not worried about things

is similar but mainly used in old fashioned or dialect speech

Antonyms

sad
∞ 1.0

Feeling unhappy or upset because of something

416 1.8

Feeling very unhappy or suffering a lot

How Happy

joyful
73 1.0
merry
481 1.0
bly
  • Archaic
9.9
content
165 1.0

Surface Forms

bly positive

Etymology

Bly comes from the old English word blithe, which meant 'cheerful' or 'gentle'. So, bly still means 'cheerful' in some dialects, like a person smiling and light-hearted.