Punnily

Part of speech: adverb

Definitions

1. In a manner that involves humorous play on words for comedic value
2. In a way that uses clever or funny word combinations to entertain or amuse
3. Characterized by the use of words with multiple meanings to create humor

Etymology: "Punnily" is simply the adverb form of "punny," with the ending "-ly" added to describe doing something in a way full of puns. The adjective "punny" is itself built from "pun" with the adjective-forming suffix "-y," so the word is a two-step formation: a noun became an adjective, and that adjective became an adverb. Writers reach for it when they want to say that a sentence, a joke, or a headline was crafted with wordplay in mind, as in a line that was punnily titled.

Synonyms: wittily, humorously