gladly

gladly — adverb

1. with a happy and willing attitude, especially when agreeing to do something that

1.adverbB1
Definition

with a happy and willing attitude, especially when agreeing to do something that you are pleased to do or that does not cause you any trouble.

Example

Gabriel gladly accepted the invitation to speak at the charity dinner.

gladly + accept + invitation/offer

When the library asked for volunteers, Sari gladly offered to help every Saturday.

gladly + offer to [verb]

Common collocations
  • gladly accept
  • gladly offer
  • gladly help
  • gladly share
  • gladly give
  • gladly do
  • would gladly
  • gladly agreed
Synonyms
  • happily

    more common in everyday speech; focuses on joy rather than willingness

  • willingly

    emphasises lack of reluctance; does not necessarily imply happiness

  • cheerfully

    suggests a visible, upbeat mood while doing something

  • readily

    stresses quick agreement without hesitation

Antonyms
  • reluctantly

    doing something with hesitation or unwillingness

  • grudgingly

    doing something unwillingly, often with resentment

Grammar Patterns

gladly + verb

would gladly + verb

Usage Note

Commonly used with verbs of acceptance, offering, helping, and giving (accept, offer, help, share, give, take). Frequently appears after the modal 'would' to make a polite offer or agreement. The fixed expression 'not suffer fools gladly', meaning to be unwilling to tolerate people you think are stupid, is a special idiom-bound usage of this adverb.

Common Mistakes

I am gladly to help you.
I am glad to help you.
'gladly' is an adverb, not an adjective; use 'glad' after linking verbs like 'be'.
He gladly accepted my offer' is correct for receiving an offer, but some learners misuse it for giving an offer: ❌ 'I gladly you can borrow my book.
I would gladly let you borrow my book.
'gladly' must modify a verb phrase, not stand alone.
Idioms

not suffer fools gladly

idiom

To have very little patience for people who seem unintelligent or slow.

Our boss does not suffer fools gladly during meetings.

Maya never suffered fools gladly, so she avoided small talk.

Word family

  • glad
    adjectiveA2
  • gladness
    nounB2
  • gladden
    verbC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/1

"Gladly", "happily", "willingly", "cheerfully", and "readily" all describe a positive attitude toward performing an action, but they differ in emphasis. "Gladly" combines willingness with a sense of personal satisfaction — you do it because you want to and it pleases you. "Happily" is more general and everyday; it focuses on the joy you feel while doing something ("He happily bought her a coffee"). "Willingly" stresses the absence of objection rather than positive emotion — you agree even if the task is unpleasant ("She willingly stayed late to finish the report"). "Cheerfully" describes an outward, visible good mood ("The waiter cheerfully cleared the table"). "Readily" emphasises speed of agreement, often implying preparedness ("He readily admitted his mistake"). For example: "The neighbours gladly helped carry the boxes inside" suggests they were pleased to do it; "they willingly helped" simply means they did not refuse.

happily ↗willingly ↗cheerfully ↗readily ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

"Gladly" comes from Old English "glædlīce", which was formed from "glæd" (bright, joyful — the ancestor of modern "glad") and the adverbial suffix "-līce" (which became modern "-ly"). The word has kept its meaning of 'with joy or willingness' for over a thousand years, undergoing only a gradual shift from 'shining with joy' towards the more general sense of 'willing happiness'.