convivial

adjective con·viv·ial \ kən-ˈviv-yəl , -ˈvi-vē-əl \

Definition of convivial

:relating to, occupied with, or fond of feasting, drinking, and good company

a convivial host

a convivial gathering

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conviviality

play \kən-ˌvi-vē-ˈa-lə-tē\ noun

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convivially

play \kən-ˈviv-yə-lē, -ˈvi-vē-ə-lē\ adverb

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Examples of convivial in a Sentence

the hiking club attracts a wide range of convivial people who share a love of the outdoors

Recent Examples of convivial from the Web

On a summer Sunday afternoon, Bubbles, Brunch and Jazz was a convivial gathering in honor of debutantes Julie Charbonnet and Elise Clay.

— sue strachan, NOLA.com, "Julie Charbonnet and Elise Clay celebrated at Bubbles, Brunch and Jazz," 24 July 2017
On the other hand, Kupferberg is the site of a more reliable and, indeed, convivial resource: Kupferberg Gold, a beer of regional renown.

— weston williams, The Christian Science Monitor, "'History of a Disappearance' tells the story of a once vibrant Polish town," 1 July 2017
Little leaked, in part because some delegates kept close watch over the notoriously loose-lipped Ben Franklin and his convivial dinners.

— francine kiefer, The Christian Science Monitor, "Law made in secret? That's not what makes health-care bill unusual.," 23 June 2017
President Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, hosted their first congressional picnic Thursday, with the president using the convivial evening to pay tribute to Rep. Steve Scalise, hospitalized after being seriously wounded in a shooting last week.

— Washington Post, "Hosting congressional picnic, Trump calls for unity," 22 June 2017
Dad Cal (Alfred Molina) comes across as a convivial old Graham Greene character, while mom Meredith (Janet McTeer) is a reclusive pianist, once quite renown, who now keeps to herself in a posh Hollywood mansion.

— peter debruge, chicagotribune.com, "'Paint It Black' review: Alia Shawkat sets off boyfriend's mom in Amber Tamblyn's debut," 22 June 2017
This was a convivial group with the 11 solo travelers joined by a mother-daughter pair, a European couple, and a husband and wife from Canada.

— terri colby, The Seattle Times, "Traveling solo, but not alone, on Italy’s Amalfi Coast," 16 June 2017
In a convivial neighborhood in the 14th arrondissement, the 43-room hotel recently opened a stand-alone wood cabin in its own private garden.

— the washington post, The Denver Post, "Paris lodging for every kind of traveler," 15 June 2017
For the past week here in the southern state of Kerala, people have gathered with pots and pans and firewood to cook beef and share it with strangers in the streets, a convivial form of protest.

— vidhi doshi, Washington Post, "To protest against Modi, these Indians are cooking beef in public," 6 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'convivial.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

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."