: gladness or gaiety as shown by or accompanied with laughter
His clumsy attempt at dancing caused much mirth.
mirthful adjective
mirthfully adverb
mirthfulness noun

Examples of mirth in a Sentence

Her clumsy attempt to cut the cake was the cause of much mirth. as charming as your mutual mirth is, could you refrain from nudging each other and giggling during class?
Recent Examples on the Web While that occasion caused much mirth, neighbors in Washington were not pleased with the mass of masked marauders. Alexander Smith, NBC News, 10 Oct. 2024 Sometimes, though, Harris’s various shades of mirth simply add ironic merriment to proceedings that otherwise slog along. Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 10 Sep. 2024 A lot of mirth comes from unexpectedly vulgar words erupting from ordinary dialogue or sweet melodies. Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 9 Aug. 2024 Non-verbal facial expressions of glee and mirth while his opponent was throwing hyperbolic lie bombs. Letters To The Editor, Orlando Sentinel, 2 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for mirth 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mirth.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English myrgth, from myrge merry — more at merry

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mirth was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near mirth

Cite this Entry

“Mirth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mirth. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

mirth

noun
: gaiety accompanied by laughter

More from Merriam-Webster on mirth

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