If you say that someone merrily does something, you are critical of the fact that they do it without realizing that there are a lot of problems which they have not thought about.
[disapproval]
He merrily rewrote history according to his own prejudices.
Both NATO and the Community knew they could not go merrily on as before.
2. adverb [ADVERB with verb]
If you say that something is happening merrily, you mean that it is happening fairly quickly, and in a pleasant or satisfactory way.
The ferry cut merrily through the water.
A pan of potatoes was boiling away merrily on the gas stove.
3. See also merry
Examples of 'merrily' in a sentence
merrily
Leave to boil merrily away until reduced by half.
The Sun (2012)
Disaster follows disaster, yet on we merrily go.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Together they have allowed Quindell to skip merrily on its path to ruin.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
So a few days passed merrily away, and the great journey commenced.
Charlotte M. Yonge The Daisy Chain (1837)
In a toy kitchen a diminutive cook is piling plastic biscuits into a bowl, chatting away merrily to anyone within earshot.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
The client can log on, too, and follow a partner going merrily about their business.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
One staff member said: 'They were chatting merrily the whole time.
The Sun (2006)
For five minutes we chatted merrily about her husband and his 200 games for Liverpool.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Either way, he was laughing merrily, full of enthusiasm.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
In other languages
merrily
British English: merrily ADVERB
If you say that someone merrily does something, you are critical of the fact that they do it without realizing that there are a lot of problems which they have not thought about.
There they were, merrily describing their 16-hour working days while claiming to be happily married.