Standard Lemma guide

pleasantly

adv · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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/ˈplɛzəntli/
Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET: P L EH1 Z AH0 N T L IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

adv

Meaning 1

In a pleasant manner; so as to achieve a pleasant result.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

He smiled pleasantly at passersby.
They were pleasantly surprised at the result.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

adv

Meaning 2

Lightly

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Qualifier: degree

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

adv

Meaning 3

Ludicrously; facetiously.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

adverb

Meaning 4

in an enjoyable manner

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

we spent a pleasantly lazy afternoon

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: agreeably, enjoyably

Antonyms: unpleasantly

adverb

Meaning 5

in a cheerful manner

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

`I'll do the dishes,' he said pleasantly

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: cheerily, sunnily

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Middle English pleasauntly; equivalent to pleasant + -ly.

Across languages

Translations

9 source translations are retained for this English entry.

Catalan: agradablement — in a pleasant manner
Esperanto: agrable — in a pleasant manner
French: agréablement — in a pleasant manner
Hungarian: kellemesen — in a pleasant manner
Hungarian: kedvesen — in a pleasant manner
Italian: dilettosamente — in a pleasant manner
Latin: amoenē — in a pleasant manner
Polish: miło — in a pleasant manner
Spanish: agradablemente — in a pleasant manner

Word forms

Inflections and variants

more pleasantly — comparative
most pleasantly — superlative
pleasauntlie — alternative
plesantlie — alternative
pleasauntly — alternative
plesantly — alternative
plesauntly — alternative

Word family

Derived and related words

Derived: none provided

Related: pleasant

Spelling and sound

Hyphenation and homophones

Hyphenation: pleas·ant·ly

Semantic map

Other relationships

Sources

Where this information comes from

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Real reading context

Examples

Meaning relationships

Meaning relationships

Meaning relationships

Examples

Meaning relationships

Examples

Meaning relationships

pleasantly in complete knowledge articles