cheerful

adjective

cheer·​ful ˈchir-fəl 

1

a

: full of good spirits : merry

a cheerful host

b

: ungrudging

cheerful obedience

2

: conducive to cheer : likely to dispel gloom or worry

sunny cheerful room

cheerfully

ˈchir-f(ə-)lē 

adverb

cheerfulness

ˈchir-fəl-nəs 

noun

Synonyms of cheerful

• bright
• optimistic
• cheery
• sunny
• upbeat
• smiling
• buoyant

Examples of cheerful in a Sentence

She has a cheerful outlook on life.

He seems a little more cheerful today.

Recent Examples on the Web

Unlike her brooding, clearly depressed husband, who refused counseling after his job loss, Mi-ok is cheerful and easygoing. — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2026

González is introverted, but comes across as warm and cheerful. — Jesús Rodríguez, New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2026

Even as a brutal heat wave threatened to smother the energy, the fest felt like a cheerful coming-out party—an announcement of the political commitments of a generation of mainstream artists more famous for singing about the self than about society. — Boris Kachka, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2026

The cheerful voice of a guide on a mic booms through the open-air cab of each old-timey bus. — Sonjirose Chin, Rolling Stone, 2 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

see cheer entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for cheerful

• fearful
• tearful

Kids Definition

cheerful

adjective

cheer·​ful ˈchi(ə)r-fəl 

1

a

: full of good spirits

a cheerful outlook

b

: willing sense 3

cheerful obedience

2

: pleasantly bright

a sunny cheerful room

cheerfully

-f(ə-)lē 

adverb

cheerfulness

-fəl-nəs 

noun