revelry

noun

rev·​el·​ry ˈre-vəl-rē 

: noisy partying or merrymaking

Synonyms of revelry

• festivity
• celebration
• merrymaking
• merriment

Examples of revelry in a Sentence

Each city has its own Carnival, but none, not even the revelry of Mardi Gras, is as spectacular as Brooklyn's. —Peter Noel, Village Voice, 6 Sept. 1994

Wassailing is an ancient English custom, part of the feasts and revelry of New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, which have been revived in Colonial Williamsburg. —Joan P. Dutton, The Williamsburg Cookbook, 1975

The tall minister stood again at the altar. He waited for the song and the revelry to die. —Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, 1969

The small birds were taking their farewell banquets. In the fullness of their revelry, they fluttered, chirping and frolicking from bush to bush, and tree to tree … —Washington Irving, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, 1820

the lottery winner was exhausted after a long night of revelry

Recent Examples on the Web

And with training camp beginning Saturday, attention again has been diverted to the incident that remains unresolved — an allegation that Nacua left bite marks on a woman’s shoulder during an evening of revelry. — Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026

Throughout my 20s, a crew of us would take an annual European ski trip that was often more focused on après ski revelry than downhill pursuits. — Jen Murphy, Travel + Leisure, 20 July 2026

All of it comes together in their new album in a rich symphonic display that creates tension, emotion, introspection, and revelry and that tells a deep narrative through sound, one that even the addition of lyrics couldn’t improve on. — Selena Fragassi, SPIN, 9 July 2026

Egypt won in penalties as well to join Mexico and Norway in newfound revelry. — Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 4 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

see revel entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

revelry

noun

rev·​el·​ry ˈrev-əl-rē 

plural revelries

: rough and noisy merrymaking