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chummily

chummily

1 7.9
In a friendly, familiar way like close friends
  • adverb
  • /ˈtʃʌmɪli/
  • Informal
: amistosamente
  • "The world's not such a heavy place," she said chummily, and he nodded and smiled.

Examples

  • "Hi, Nixon," you'd say chummily.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • Favoring Chilton as he sits chummily on the table. Chilton

    Fiction book (1991)
  • "Hello, how are you doing today?" she asked chummily, her smile brightening the room.

  • They chatted chummily over coffee, sharing stories and laughter like old friends.

  • The children played chummily in the park, enjoying each other's company without a care.

Synonyms

companionably
vschummily
1 3.5

In a friendly way that shows you enjoy being with someone

shows greater intimacy and familiarity, like close friends rather than casual friendliness

Antonyms

formally
  • Formal
150 3.7

In a formal, official way that follows the rules

17 4.0

In a way that shows little feeling or kindness to other people

How Friendly

chummily
  • Informal
1 7.9
warmly
32 1.0
cordially
10 4.0
politely
97 1.0
coldly
17 4.0

Surface Forms

chummily positive

Morphology

chummily = chummy (transparent) = chum + y + ly

Formed regularly from the adjective 'chummy' by adding the productive adverbial suffix '-ly'; meaning 'in a friendly way' is directly derived.

Etymology

Chummily comes from chum, a casual word for 'friend', and that word grew from an old term chambermate meaning 'roommate' because people who share a room often become close. Over time chummy came to mean warm and friendly, so to behave chummily is to act like a close, familiar friend.