festivity

noun

fes·​tiv·​i·​ty fe-ˈsti-və-tē 

fə-

plural festivities

1

: festival sense 1

2

: the quality or state of being festive : gaiety

3

: festive activity

Synonyms

• cheer
• cheerfulness
• cheeriness
• gaiety
• gayety
• gayness
• glee
• gleefulness
• hilarity
• jocundity
• joviality
• merriment
• merriness
• mirth
• mirthfulness

Examples of festivity in a Sentence

The decorations give the hall an air of festivity.

The festivities will include a parade, a concert, and games for children.

We enjoyed the New Year's Eve festivities.

Recent Examples on the Web

The festival opening festivities take place October 16. —Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 6 Sep. 2024

In the show, Ariadne also has a nickname — Ari — and is played by Leila Farzad. 07 of 11 Dionysus A fan favorite, Dionysus is the god of wine, vegetation, festivity and insanity. —Rebecca Aizin, Peoplemag, 5 Sep. 2024

To take the stress out of preparing for your next destination wedding or other faraway festivity, Drakeford gave us her go-to tactics to efficiently and compactly pack up your essentials. —Blake Bakkila, Sunset Magazine, 29 Aug. 2024

The 2024 festivities kicked off Monday with Fan Week, free and open to the public, before the main tournament ramps up Aug. 26. —Kristen Tauer, WWD, 19 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

festivity

noun

fes·​tiv·​i·​ty fes-ˈtiv-ət-ē 

plural festivities

1

: festival sense 1

2

: the quality or state of being festive

3

: festive activity