cheery

adjective

ˈchir-ē 

cheerier; cheeriest

1

: marked by cheerfulness or good spirits

2

: causing or suggesting cheerfulness

cheery music

cheerily

ˈchir-ə-lē 

adverb

cheeriness

ˈchir-ē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms of cheery

• cheerful
• bright
• optimistic

Examples of cheery in a Sentence

a cheery grin on the host of the holiday party

a cheery, unexpected compliment can really make another person's day

Recent Examples on the Web

Then, in the meditation hall, our cheery host suddenly turned serious and began pounding on a 350-year-old drum from a samurai castle used for marking the beginning of chores. — Pico Iyer, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Aug. 2026

Whites have been made here for centuries but many fell into the cheap and cheery category and were not popular in the export market. — Mike Desimone, Robb Report, 14 Aug. 2026

The Livermore shop keeps the dairy’s cheery vibes while expanding gift-shop retail offerings and placing a window into a new production facility, where high volumes of pint ice cream are packed. — Kate Bradshaw, Mercury News, 11 Aug. 2026

These cheery headlines largely traced back to a single report by Fandango conducted in January. — Sophia Nguyen, The Atlantic, 2 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for cheery

• beery
• bleary
• cirri
• dearie
• deary
• dreary
• eerie
• kiri
• leary
• leery
• peery
• query

Kids Definition

cheery

adjective

ˈchi(ə)r-ē 

cheerier; cheeriest

: merry and bright in manner or effect : cheerful

cheerily

ˈchir-ə-lē 

adverb

cheeriness

ˈchir-ē-nəs 

noun