playful
Americanadjective
-
full of play or fun; sportive; frolicsome.
-
pleasantly humorous or jesting.
a playful remark.
adjective
-
full of high spirits and fun
a playful kitten
-
good-natured and humorous
a playful remark
Other Word Forms
- half-playful adjective
- half-playfully adverb
- half-playfulness noun
- playfully adverb
- playfulness noun
- unplayful adjective
- unplayfully adverb
Etymology
Origin of playful
First recorded in 1200–50, playful is from the Middle English word pleiful. See play, -ful
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
There is playful debate over who does more nappies.
From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026
In South Korea, a playful green cartoon dinosaur named Dooly, known for the two small tufts of hair on his head, has been a favorite for generations.
From Science Daily • Apr. 1, 2026
They streamline “Monterey” into a swinging four, and Sinatra is especially playful in the second chorus—dropping words, speeding up and slowing down.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026
Sokolov’s eye for visual flair brings some much-needed panache to this well-worn formula, but even his playful directorial spirit isn’t enough to shake the feeling that one has seen this film before.
From Salon • Mar. 29, 2026
Meredith, who’d been raised in St. Louis, was sharp and knowledgeable about different designers and had a playful sense of color and texture.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.