"blithely" meaning in English

See blithely in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Adverb

IPA: /ˈblaɪðli/ [Received-Pronunciation, US] Audio: en-us-blithely.ogg [US], en-au-blithely.ogg [Australia] Forms: more blithely [comparative], most blithely [superlative]
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. Etymology templates: {{inh|en|enm|blythely}} Middle English blythely, {{m|enm|blyþely}} blyþely, {{m|enm|bliþeliche}} bliþeliche, {{inh|en|ang|blīþelīċe|t=gladly, blithely}} Old English blīþelīċe (“gladly, blithely”), {{inh|en|gmw-pro}} Proto-West Germanic [Term?], {{cog|nl|blijdelijk}} Dutch blijdelijk, {{surf|en|blithe|-ly|}} By surface analysis, blithe + -ly Head templates: {{en-adv}} blithely (comparative more blithely, superlative most blithely)
  1. Without care, concern, or consideration. Synonyms: carelessly, indifferently Translations (without care, concern, or consideration): zorgeloos (Dutch), huolettomasti (Finnish), ungerührt (German), unbekümmert (German), көнүлдүү (könüldüü) (Kyrgyz), беспе́чно (bespéčno) (Russian), bezbrižno (Serbo-Croatian), bekymmerslöst (Swedish)
    Sense id: en-blithely-en-adv-ayOwNtQM Disambiguation of 'without care, concern, or consideration': 99 1 0
  2. In a joyful, carefree manner. Synonyms: gladly, joyfully, merrily Translations (in a joyful, carefree manner): hilpeästi (Finnish), unbekümmert (German), spensieratamente (Italian), allegramente (Italian), bezbrižno (Serbo-Croatian)
    Sense id: en-blithely-en-adv-LKeGlvgg Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English terms suffixed with -ly Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 21 77 1 Disambiguation of English terms suffixed with -ly: 23 72 5 Disambiguation of 'in a joyful, carefree manner': 1 87 12
  3. (obsolete) In a kind manner. Tags: obsolete Translations (In a kind manner): bezbrižno (Serbo-Croatian)
    Sense id: en-blithely-en-adv-EdYBwtq3 Disambiguation of 'In a kind manner': 0 19 81
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Related terms: blitheful, blithefully, blithefulness, blithen, blitheness, blithesome

Download JSON data for blithely meaning in English (6.5kB)

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "blythely"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English blythely",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "blyþely"
      },
      "expansion": "blyþely",
      "name": "m"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "bliþeliche"
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      "expansion": "bliþeliche",
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    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "blīþelīċe",
        "t": "gladly, blithely"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English blīþelīċe (“gladly, blithely”)",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic [Term?]",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "blijdelijk"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch blijdelijk",
      "name": "cog"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "blithe",
        "3": "-ly",
        "4": ""
      },
      "expansion": "By surface analysis, blithe + -ly",
      "name": "surf"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "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.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "more blithely",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "most blithely",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "blithely (comparative more blithely, superlative most blithely)",
      "name": "en-adv"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adv",
  "related": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "blitheful"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "blithefully"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "blithefulness"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "blithen"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "blitheness"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "blithesome"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "As the bombs fell on the city, the woman blithely continued with her chores.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1986 November 24, Susan Sontag, “The Way We Live Now”, in The New Yorker",
          "text": "[…] and now was hardly the time, as Stephen pointed out, to be worried about cleaning up his act, and eliminating the chemical additives and other pollutants that we’re all blithely or not so blithely feasting on, blithely since we’re healthy, healthy as we can be; so far, Ira said.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2012 May 27, Nathan Rabin, “TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “New Kid On The Block” (season 4, episode 8; originally aired 11/12/1992)”, in The Onion AV Club",
          "text": "The episode also opens with an inspired bit of business for Homer, who blithely refuses to acquiesce to an elderly neighbor’s utterly reasonable request that he help make the process of selling her house easier by wearing pants when he gallivants about in front of windows, throw out his impressive collection of rotting Jack-O-Lanterns from previous Halloweens and take out his garbage, as it’s attracting wildlife (cue moose and Northern Exposure theme song).",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2023 February 6, Hilary Osborne, “I thought knowing I had the ‘cancer gene’ would cast a shadow over my life. Now I have it, I realise how wrong I was”, in The Guardian, →ISSN",
          "text": "So I carried on, blithely ignorant. And by the time I saw the stats, there was a 100% chance I’d got it.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Without care, concern, or consideration."
      ],
      "id": "en-blithely-en-adv-ayOwNtQM",
      "links": [
        [
          "care",
          "care"
        ],
        [
          "concern",
          "concern"
        ],
        [
          "consideration",
          "consideration"
        ]
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "carelessly"
        },
        {
          "word": "indifferently"
        }
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1 0",
          "code": "nl",
          "lang": "Dutch",
          "sense": "without care, concern, or consideration",
          "word": "zorgeloos"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1 0",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "without care, concern, or consideration",
          "word": "huolettomasti"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1 0",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "without care, concern, or consideration",
          "word": "ungerührt"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1 0",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "without care, concern, or consideration",
          "word": "unbekümmert"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1 0",
          "code": "ky",
          "lang": "Kyrgyz",
          "roman": "könüldüü",
          "sense": "without care, concern, or consideration",
          "word": "көнүлдүү"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1 0",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "bespéčno",
          "sense": "without care, concern, or consideration",
          "word": "беспе́чно"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1 0",
          "code": "sh",
          "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
          "sense": "without care, concern, or consideration",
          "word": "bezbrižno"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "99 1 0",
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "without care, concern, or consideration",
          "word": "bekymmerslöst"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "21 77 1",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "23 72 5",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms suffixed with -ly",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "In a joyful, carefree manner."
      ],
      "id": "en-blithely-en-adv-LKeGlvgg",
      "links": [
        [
          "joyful",
          "joyful"
        ],
        [
          "carefree",
          "carefree"
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      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "gladly"
        },
        {
          "word": "joyfully"
        },
        {
          "word": "merrily"
        }
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "1 87 12",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "in a joyful, carefree manner",
          "word": "hilpeästi"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "1 87 12",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "in a joyful, carefree manner",
          "word": "unbekümmert"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "1 87 12",
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "in a joyful, carefree manner",
          "word": "spensieratamente"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "1 87 12",
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "in a joyful, carefree manner",
          "word": "allegramente"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "1 87 12",
          "code": "sh",
          "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
          "sense": "in a joyful, carefree manner",
          "word": "bezbrižno"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "glosses": [
        "In a kind manner."
      ],
      "id": "en-blithely-en-adv-EdYBwtq3",
      "links": [
        [
          "kind",
          "kind"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(obsolete) In a kind manner."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "obsolete"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "0 19 81",
          "code": "sh",
          "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
          "sense": "In a kind manner",
          "word": "bezbrižno"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈblaɪðli/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation",
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-us-blithely.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/4/4c/En-us-blithely.ogg/En-us-blithely.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/En-us-blithely.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (US)"
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-au-blithely.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/3/33/En-au-blithely.ogg/En-au-blithely.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/33/En-au-blithely.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "blithely"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English 2-syllable words",
    "English adverbs",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English terms derived from Middle English",
    "English terms derived from Old English",
    "English terms derived from Proto-West Germanic",
    "English terms inherited from Middle English",
    "English terms inherited from Old English",
    "English terms inherited from Proto-West Germanic",
    "English terms suffixed with -ly",
    "English terms with IPA pronunciation",
    "English terms with audio links",
    "Proto-West Germanic term requests"
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "blythely"
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      "expansion": "Middle English blythely",
      "name": "inh"
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    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "blyþely"
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      "expansion": "blyþely",
      "name": "m"
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        "1": "enm",
        "2": "bliþeliche"
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      "expansion": "bliþeliche",
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
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        "3": "blīþelīċe",
        "t": "gladly, blithely"
      },
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      "name": "inh"
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro"
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      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic [Term?]",
      "name": "inh"
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      "args": {
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      "expansion": "Dutch blijdelijk",
      "name": "cog"
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "blithe",
        "3": "-ly",
        "4": ""
      },
      "expansion": "By surface analysis, blithe + -ly",
      "name": "surf"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "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.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "more blithely",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "most blithely",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "blithely (comparative more blithely, superlative most blithely)",
      "name": "en-adv"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adv",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "blitheful"
    },
    {
      "word": "blithefully"
    },
    {
      "word": "blithefulness"
    },
    {
      "word": "blithen"
    },
    {
      "word": "blitheness"
    },
    {
      "word": "blithesome"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "As the bombs fell on the city, the woman blithely continued with her chores.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1986 November 24, Susan Sontag, “The Way We Live Now”, in The New Yorker",
          "text": "[…] and now was hardly the time, as Stephen pointed out, to be worried about cleaning up his act, and eliminating the chemical additives and other pollutants that we’re all blithely or not so blithely feasting on, blithely since we’re healthy, healthy as we can be; so far, Ira said.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2012 May 27, Nathan Rabin, “TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “New Kid On The Block” (season 4, episode 8; originally aired 11/12/1992)”, in The Onion AV Club",
          "text": "The episode also opens with an inspired bit of business for Homer, who blithely refuses to acquiesce to an elderly neighbor’s utterly reasonable request that he help make the process of selling her house easier by wearing pants when he gallivants about in front of windows, throw out his impressive collection of rotting Jack-O-Lanterns from previous Halloweens and take out his garbage, as it’s attracting wildlife (cue moose and Northern Exposure theme song).",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2023 February 6, Hilary Osborne, “I thought knowing I had the ‘cancer gene’ would cast a shadow over my life. Now I have it, I realise how wrong I was”, in The Guardian, →ISSN",
          "text": "So I carried on, blithely ignorant. And by the time I saw the stats, there was a 100% chance I’d got it.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Without care, concern, or consideration."
      ],
      "links": [
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          "care",
          "care"
        ],
        [
          "concern",
          "concern"
        ],
        [
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          "consideration"
        ]
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "carelessly"
        },
        {
          "word": "indifferently"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
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        "In a joyful, carefree manner."
      ],
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          "joyful",
          "joyful"
        ],
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          "carefree",
          "carefree"
        ]
      ],
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        {
          "word": "gladly"
        },
        {
          "word": "joyfully"
        },
        {
          "word": "merrily"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with obsolete senses"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "In a kind manner."
      ],
      "links": [
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          "kind",
          "kind"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(obsolete) In a kind manner."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "obsolete"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈblaɪðli/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation",
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-us-blithely.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/4/4c/En-us-blithely.ogg/En-us-blithely.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/En-us-blithely.ogg",
      "tags": [
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      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/33/En-au-blithely.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
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  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "nl",
      "lang": "Dutch",
      "sense": "without care, concern, or consideration",
      "word": "zorgeloos"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "without care, concern, or consideration",
      "word": "huolettomasti"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "without care, concern, or consideration",
      "word": "ungerührt"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "without care, concern, or consideration",
      "word": "unbekümmert"
    },
    {
      "code": "ky",
      "lang": "Kyrgyz",
      "roman": "könüldüü",
      "sense": "without care, concern, or consideration",
      "word": "көнүлдүү"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "bespéčno",
      "sense": "without care, concern, or consideration",
      "word": "беспе́чно"
    },
    {
      "code": "sh",
      "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
      "sense": "without care, concern, or consideration",
      "word": "bezbrižno"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "without care, concern, or consideration",
      "word": "bekymmerslöst"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "in a joyful, carefree manner",
      "word": "hilpeästi"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "in a joyful, carefree manner",
      "word": "unbekümmert"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "in a joyful, carefree manner",
      "word": "spensieratamente"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "in a joyful, carefree manner",
      "word": "allegramente"
    },
    {
      "code": "sh",
      "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
      "sense": "in a joyful, carefree manner",
      "word": "bezbrižno"
    },
    {
      "code": "sh",
      "lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
      "sense": "In a kind manner",
      "word": "bezbrižno"
    }
  ],
  "word": "blithely"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-01 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-04-21 using wiktextract (f4fd8c9 and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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