Playful
['pleɪfʊl;-f(ə)l] or ['plefl]
Definition
(adj.) full of fun and high spirits; 'playful children just let loose from school' .
Edited by Davy--From WordNet
Definition
(a.) Sportive; gamboling; frolicsome; indulging a sportive fancy; humorous; merry; as, a playful child; a playful writer.
Edited by Ingram
Synonyms and Synonymous
a. Frolicsome, frisky, sportive, merry, jolly, mirthful, DAFT, gamesome, debonair, vivacious, lively, sprightly, full of play, full of fun.
Typed by Ernestine
Synonyms and Antonyms
SYN:Lively, sportive, jocund, frolicsome, gay, vivacious, sprightly,[See LIVELY]
Typed by Dewey
Examples
- Winifred did not notice human beings unless they were like herself, playful and slightly mocking. D. H. Lawrence. Women in Love .
- For what did I say to myself arter having amused myself with that there stretch of a comic idea, as a sort of a playful game? Charles Dickens. Our Mutual Friend.
- I am very glad to hear it, said Dorothea, laughing out her words in a bird-like modulation, and looking at Will with playful gratitude in her eyes. George Eliot. Middlemarch.
- She told the story, however, with great spirit among her friends; for she had a lively, playful disposition, which delighted in anything ridiculous. Jane Austen. Pride and Prejudice.
- If ever she delayed compliance, it was only to hear them repeated, and to enjoy her child's soft, half-playful, half-petulant urgency. Charlotte Bronte. Shirley.
- I am playful; playfulness is a part of my amiable character. Charles Dickens. Little Dorrit.
- He said this in his most gay, yet benevolent manner, and smiled, not disdainfully, but in playful mockery of himself. Mary Shelley. The Last Man.
- Of all his playful speeches (playful, yet always fully meaning what they expressed) none seemed to be more to the taste of Mr. Jarndyce than this. Charles Dickens. Bleak House.
- And soon afterwards, on the second boy's violently pinching one of the same lady's fingers, she fondly observed, How playful William is! Jane Austen. Sense and Sensibility.
- Her discourse flowed freely; it was gay, playful, eloquent. Charlotte Bronte. Shirley.
- Yet the atmosphere about him was energetic and playful. D. H. Lawrence. Women in Love .
- I have seen your pleasant home, and your old father, and all the innocent, cheerful playful ways with which you refresh your business life. Charles Dickens. Great Expectations.
- Much of what adults do is so remote in space and in meaning that playful imitation is less and less adequate to reproduce its spirit. John Dewey. Democracy and Education.
- You with an old father, and you with pleasant and playful ways? Charles Dickens. Great Expectations.
- With her father she really was still a child, or child-like, affectionate, merry, and playful. Charlotte Bronte. Villette.
- She was docile and good tempered, yet gay and playful as a summer insect. Mary Shelley. Frankenstein_Or_The Modern Prometheus.
- She knew he would be making ironical, playful remarks as he wandered in hell--if he were in the humour. D. H. Lawrence. Women in Love .
- They're more or less younger than I am, and they're playful. Charles Dickens. Our Mutual Friend.
- She looked up at me suddenly, only moving her eyes, and repeated in a grimly playful manner,-- Well? Charles Dickens. Great Expectations.
- You're a clever boy, my dear,' said the playful old gentleman, patting Oliver on the head approvingly. Charles Dickens. Oliver Twist.
- He was gay, playful, fascinating--but never did he overstep the modesty of nature, or the respect due to himself, in his wildest sallies. Mary Shelley. The Last Man.
- It is a great pity the playful Inquisition is no more. Mark Twain. The Innocents Abroad.
- These tales excited in us a playful desire of imitation. Mary Shelley. Frankenstein_Or_The Modern Prometheus.
- He could not meet her in conversation, rational or playful. Jane Austen. Emma.
- Then there came a turnip, then a potato, and then an egg; with a few other little tokens of the playful disposition of the many-headed. Charles Dickens. The Pickwick Papers.
- Upon my unfortunate townsman all these incidents accumulated with playful effect. Charles Dickens. Great Expectations.
- They're playful, Bella my dear; they're playful. Charles Dickens. Our Mutual Friend.
Typed by Dewey