convivial
adjective
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Convivial traces to "convivium," a Latin word meaning "banquet," and tends to suggest a mood of full-bellied joviality. Charles Dickens aptly captures that sense in his novel David Copperfield: "We had a beautiful little dinner. Quite an elegant dish of fish; the kidney-end of a loin of veal, roasted; fried sausage-meat; a partridge, and a pudding. There was wine, and there was strong ale.... Mr. Micawber was uncommonly convivial. I never saw him such good company. He made his face shine with the punch, so that it looked as if it had been varnished all over. He got cheerfully sentimental about the town, and proposed success to it."
Synonyms
Examples of convivial in a Sentence
Kathleen Peddicord, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024
The guests who noshed on Thomas’ roast beef and guzzled his liquor suddenly are a lot less convivial.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 19 Mar. 2024
So your guests may be thinking of this as a meal out, rather than a convivial evening.
—Judith Martin, The Mercury News, 18 Mar. 2024
Hotels often try to make their guests feel like locals, and Bardo has succeeded here by adding convivial neighbors into the mix.
—Denny Lee, Travel + Leisure, 17 Mar. 2024
Running and skipping and playing soccer, some would intermittently break away from their playmates to check in with their parents, who sat in large, convivial groups at tables near mine, before running back to their games.
—Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024
The home’s original, genteel charm is present at every turn, but at the same time, the interior spaces have been tweaked and opened to each other for a less formal, more convivial layout conducive to relaxed entertaining.
—Mark David, Robb Report, 14 Mar. 2024
But despite the few concessions to culinary trends, Casa Vega retains the same clubby, convivial spirit that Ray cultivated all those years ago.
—Bill Esparza, New York Times, 27 Feb. 2024
The cuisine is a true cultural expression with dishes like Lumpia, Adobo, and Kare-Kare served up in convivial settings.
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 10 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'convivial.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Late Latin convivialis, from Latin convivium banquet, from com- + vivere to live — more at quick entry 1
circa 1668, in the meaning defined above
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“Convivial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/convivial. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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convivial
adjective
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