thankfully
Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
thankfully/ˈθaŋkfəli/
▶adverb
- 1 in a thankful manner.
- 2 fortunately.
usage: Thankfully has long been used to mean ‘in a thankful manner’. Since the 1960s it has also been used to mean ‘fortunately’, as in thankfully, we didn't have to wait. Although this use is regarded by some as incorrect, it is far commoner now than the original meaning.
'thankfully' also found in these Oxford entries:
