blithely

American  

[blahyth-lee, blahyth-lee] / ˈblaɪð li, ˈblaɪθ li /

adverb

1. without much thought, concern, or care.

   I blithely went ahead with my project without really considering the impact it would have on my career.

2. in a joyous or happy way; cheerfully or lightheartedly.

   Left to my own devices I would blithely live the rest of my days imagining new recipes and tweaking old ones.

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Etymology

Origin of blithely

blithe ( def. ) + -ly

Explanation

The adverb blithely describes something you do in a casually cheerful, somewhat neglectful way, like when you blithely ride your bike down the street, not even thinking about all the homework you have to do. Something that's done blithely is careless, like a group of kids blithely dashing off across a frozen pond on their ice skates, forgetting about their slower friend. You could talk blithely about your brand new laptop, forgetting that your friend can't afford a new computer. Blithely also means "happily," without implying that anything is being overlooked or ignored, like a winning team blithely celebrating their victory.

Example Sentences

Hoecker says cutting jobs also signals to stock market investors worried about the "real and huge" cost of AI development that executives are not blithely writing blank cheques.

From BBC • Mar. 29, 2026

In one column from 1935 she wrote blithely, “if war comes this year, it might come at the beginning of July, if it’s hot, heat and history having an undeniable affiliation in European affairs.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 19, 2026

Backed into a corner by the threat of a career-ending scandal—one that would not only undo her but also her blithely trusting editor — Elizabeth agrees to make the fantasy corporeal.

From Salon • Dec. 25, 2025

But this isn’t to say that workers of any age should blithely assume they’ll be immune to job eliminations due to AI.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 26, 2025

Meanwhile, Aurelia and Marcus, blithely ignorant of what was happening, hurried back to the atrium, to find the former sleepers wide awake and one, at least, in a state close to panic.

From "Tiger, Tiger" by Lynne Reid Banks

Related Words

• blissfully
• cheerfully
• contentedly
• enthusiastically
• freely
• gladly
• gleefully
• graciously
• heartily
• joyfully
• joyously
• lovingly
• merrily
• peacefully
• playfully
• willingly