musefully

English

Etymology

From museful +‎ -ly.

Adverb

musefully (comparative more musefully, superlative most musefully)

1. In a museful manner, musingly, pensively.
   • 1885, George Meredith, chapter 42, in Diana of the Crossways‎^[1], volume I, London: Chapman & Hall, page 276:

     Diana’s face was clearly before him through the deluge; now in single features, the dimple running from her mouth, the dark bright eyes and cut of eyelids, and nostrils alive under their lightning; now in her whole radiant smile, or musefully listening, nursing a thought.

   • 1938, Siegfried Sassoon, chapter 4, in The Old Century and Seven More Years‎^[2], London: Faber & Faber, page 241:

     He spoke more musefully, in a slightly higher-pitched voice, and appeared to be in no hurry to reach those definite conclusions at which his cousin arrived—somewhat long-windedly but always with the end well in view.

   • 2008, Bob Greene, chapter 15, in When We Get to Surf City‎^[3], New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, page 200:

     Phil, with his musefully mordant views of life, views he invariably expressed with not-a-consonant-wasted economy, could always make me laugh, even during moments that by all rights should make us shudder.