thankfully

thankfully — adverb

1. used before a statement to express happiness or relief that something good happe

1.副詞B1
釋義

used before a statement to express happiness or relief that something good happened or a bad thing did not happen

例句

Thankfully, the rain stopped just before the outdoor wedding ceremony began.

thankfully + [positive outcome clause] at start of sentence

Nikhil's passport was thankfully still in his coat pocket when he checked.

同義詞
  • fortunately

    more neutral than 'thankfully'; does not imply personal gratitude, just good luck

  • luckily

    emphasises chance rather than divine or personal gratitude; more informal

  • happily

    focuses on the positive outcome rather than relief that something bad was avoided

反義詞
  • unfortunately

    the direct opposite — expresses regret about a bad outcome

  • regrettably

    more formal than 'unfortunately'; expresses disappointment

文法句型

Thankfully + [clause]

[Clause], thankfully

用法筆記

Only this sense functions as a sentence adverb, placed at the start of a sentence or before the main verb. It expresses the speaker's relief, not the manner of an action. Compare: 'Thankfully, he accepted the offer' (sense 1 — the speaker is relieved) with 'He accepted the offer thankfully' (sense 2 — he accepted with gratitude).

常見錯誤

❌He thankfully smiled at the donation.' (when meaning he smiled with gratitude).
✅He smiled thankfully at the donation.
💡sense 1 modifies the whole sentence; to describe how someone does an action, use sense 2 after the verb.

2. behaving or speaking in a way that shows you feel grateful or thankful

2.副詞B2
釋義

behaving or speaking in a way that shows you feel grateful or thankful

例句

The refugee family smiled thankfully at the volunteers who brought them food and blankets.

verb (smiled) + thankfully: manner of expressing gratitude

Wei accepted the scholarship money thankfully, knowing it would change his future.

同義詞
  • gratefully

    nearly identical; 'gratefully' is slightly more common in this manner-adverb role

  • appreciatively

    focuses on recognising the value of what was done rather than on gratitude itself

反義詞

文法句型

[Verb] + thankfully

用法筆記

This sense is less common than sense 1 in everyday conversation. It modifies a verb describing an action of receiving, accepting, or expressing thanks, and typically appears after the verb. If you move this adverb to the front of the sentence, the meaning shifts to sense 1 (the speaker's relief, not the subject's gratitude).

常見錯誤

❌Thankfully, she nodded.' (when meaning she nodded with gratitude).
✅She nodded thankfully.
💡placing 'thankfully' at the start changes the meaning from manner (sense 2) to sentence-adverb relief (sense 1).