celebratory

adjective

cel·​e·​bra·​to·​ry ˈse-lə-brə-ˌtȯr-ē 

ˌse-lə-ˈbrā-tə-rē

: of, relating to, expressing, or characterized by celebration

The tone of the article was celebratory.

Both band and audience seemed in celebratory moods, with massive cheers erupting when the lights went out …

—Emily Burnham

: used or intended for use in celebrating

We went for a celebratory drink after the game.

And you can even find meals that don't have any turkey at all; for many Westerners, Thanksgiving dinner is more about celebratory feasting than ironclad tradition, so chefs update their menus with everything from lobster with tomato-basil polenta to butternut squash lasagna.

—Colleen Dunn Bates

Also beginning in earnest is the crop of celebratory activities to mark the 250th anniversary of the quintessential college town.

—James Heflin

Examples of celebratory in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

While the mood of the day was celebratory, the realities of working in Hollywood were never far from the conversation. — Ryma Chikhoune, Footwear News, 14 Sep. 2026

Stonestreet’s birthday comes amid a celebratory week for his family. — Deirdre Durkan, PEOPLE, 9 Sep. 2026

His answers were genuine and unguarded, dating from a kind of prelapsarian moment before publicists trained their clients to discuss race in blandly celebratory ways, if at all. — E. Alex Jung, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2026

It’s designed to be a celebratory moment before mayhem descends. — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1809, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for celebratory

• accusatory
• admonitory
• ambulatory
• amendatory
• circulatory
• combinatory
• commendatory
• compensatory
• condemnatory
• confirmatory
• confiscatory
• consolatory