zanilyhttp://www.oed.com/dictionary/zanily_adv%3Ftab%3Dmeaning_and_usezanily, adv.
Revised 2024

zanilyadverb

  1. 1936–
    In a zany manner; (now) esp. in an imaginatively unconventional or idiosyncratic manner. Cf. zany adj.
    1. 1936
      The master of ceremonies and the tooter was zanily screwy.
      Edmonton (Alberta) Bulletin 19 March 8/1
    2. 1958
      In Central Park sea lions barked zanily at the sky.
      S. Ellin, Eighth Circle (1959) i. i. 11
    3. 1966
      I've..emptied the crucial and precious capsules out of my window, zanily.
      M. Laurence, Jest of God ix. 170
    4. 1984
      The play is a staple of the repertory and amateur theatre diet, and while it may not inspire to the zanily surreal heights of See How They Run or Madame Louise, Dighton is certainly a name worth conjuring with.
      Financial Times 25 July 13/6
    5. 2021
      Dr. Seuss'..zanily illustrated books like ‘Cat in the Hat’ put a generation of children to bed.
      Arizona Daily Star 17 January a14/1

Originally published as part of the entry for zany, n. & adj.

zanily, adv. was revised in March 2024.

zanily, adv. was last modified in June 2024.