blithely
/ˈblaɪðli/ adverb
Forms blythely
- adverb Without care, concern, or consideration. “As the bombs fell on the city, the woman blithely continued with her chores.”
- adverb In a joyful, carefree manner.
- adverb (obsolete) In a kind manner.
Synonyms
carelessly indifferently gladly joyfully merrily happily mirthfully gayly jubilantly
Etymology
From Middle English blythely, blyþely, bliþeliche, from Old English blīþelīċe (“gladly, blithely”), from Proto-West Germanic [Term?]; compare Dutch blijdelijk. By surface analysis, blithe + -ly.
Webster’s 1913
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “blithely”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details