Meaning & use
blissfully
Last updated
Meanings
adverbnot comparable
In a way that shows deep happiness and peace.
Grammar: Used with verbs of feeling or rest: she sighed blissfully; or before an adjective: blissfully happy.
Patterns
- blissfully happy
- sigh blissfully
- sleep blissfully
The twins slept blissfully through the thunderstorm.
He sank into the warm water and sighed blissfully.
They were blissfully happy in their tiny cottage by the sea.
adverbnot comparable
In a way that shows happy ignorance of a problem or danger, often one that others can see.
Grammar: Almost always before unaware, ignorant or oblivious: blissfully unaware of the mess.
Patterns
- blissfully unaware of something
- blissfully ignorant of something
Tom continued to hum, blissfully unaware that his microphone was still on.
The tourists were blissfully ignorant of the storm heading their way.
She went on shopping, blissfully oblivious to the time.
Common combinations
- blissfully unaware
- The children were blissfully unaware of the surprise party.
- blissfully ignorant
- He remained blissfully ignorant of the rumors.
- blissfully happy
- The couple seemed blissfully happy on their honeymoon.
- blissfully quiet
- After the guests left, the house was blissfully quiet.
- smile blissfully
- The baby smiled blissfully in her sleep.
- blissfully oblivious
- The cat lay blissfully oblivious to the barking dog.
Synonyms and how they differ
- happily
- Happily is a much plainer word and carries no suggestion of perfect contentment or, in the second sense, of unawareness.
- contentedly
- Contentedly means calmly satisfied, so it is quieter than blissfully, which suggests joy at its fullest.
- serenely
- Serenely stresses calm and lack of worry rather than happiness, though it can also suggest unawareness.
- obliviously
- Obliviously only expresses lack of awareness and does not carry the happy feeling of blissfully.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: blissfully or blessedly?
blissfully vs blessedly
Blessedly means fortunately or in a way that brings relief, as in blessedly short, and does not describe feelings of joy in the way blissfully does.
Practice
Dana kept chatting on the phone, ______ unaware that her bus had already left without her.
Choose one answer.
Blissfully unaware is the natural pairing for someone happily ignorant of a problem. The other adverbs do not combine with unaware in this way.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “blissfully”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.