Meaning & use
jauntily
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Meaning
adverb
In a lively, cheerful, and confident way, often with a casual, self-assured air.
Grammar: An adverb usually modifies a verb or an adjective, e.g. 'He walked jauntily.'
Patterns
- walk jauntily
- wear something jauntily
She walked jauntily down the street, smiling at everyone she passed.
He wore his hat jauntily, tilted to one side.
The team left the field jauntily, despite the loss.
Common combinations
- walk jauntily
- He walked jauntily into the meeting, as if he had no worries.
- hat worn jauntily
- Her hat was worn jauntily, giving her a playful look.
- jauntily dressed
- The children were jauntily dressed in bright colors.
Synonyms and how they differ
- cheerfully
- Cheerfully focuses on a happy mood, while jauntily adds a sense of confident, carefree style.
- breezily
- Breezily suggests a relaxed, easy manner; jauntily often implies a more energetic, almost cocky confidence.
Opposites
Word family
- jaunty adjective
- Lively and confident in manner or appearance.
- jauntiness noun
- The quality of being jaunty.
Commonly confused: jauntily or jaunt?
jauntily vs jaunt
Jaunt is a short trip, while jauntily means in a lively, confident way.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'jauntily' correctly?
Choose one answer.
In English, adverbs like 'jauntily' usually come after the verb or before the main verb but not between the subject and verb in a simple statement. 'He jauntily walked' is acceptable, but 'He walked jauntily' is more natural. Option 1 is wrong because the adverb should not split the verb and its object; option 3 is wrong because the adverb is misplaced before 'are'; option 4 is wrong because 'jauntily' cannot modify a noun directly.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “jauntily”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.