festive

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adjective fes·tive \ ˈfe-stiv \

Definition of festive

1 :of, relating to, or suitable for a feast or festival

a festive occasion

The house looks festive during the holidays.

2 :joyful, gay

a festive mood

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festively

adverb

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festiveness

noun

See festive defined for English-language learners

See festive defined for kids

Examples of festive in a Sentence

The house looks very festive during the holidays.
She was in a festive mood.
The reunion will be a festive occasion.

Recent Examples of festive from the Web

At Noosh Nosh, 4816 Brownsboro Road, chef Anoosh Shariat slathers on pumpkin butter to add a festive flavor to his turkey sandwich this time of year.

— kirby adams, The Courier-Journal, "Pumpkin spice season, the fall orgy for your tastebuds, is here," 25 Aug. 2017
One college student has taken dorm decoration to the next level, proving that your college bedroom can be as festive as your imagination allows.

— de elizabeth, Teen Vogue, "Alabama A&M University Student’s Dorm Photos Go Viral," 10 Aug. 2017
The sky-blue shade mixed with the ruffles is an especially festive twist on the classic wrap dress.

— lindsay peoples, The Cut, "How to Wear Polka Dots Without Looking Too Cute," 27 July 2017
There’s always standing room at the festive event that starts with the Seafair Torchlight Run along the parade route at 6 p.m. Saturday.

— madeline mckenzie, The Seattle Times, "Bellevue gets artsy while Seattle celebrates Seafair with Torchlight Parade," 26 July 2017
The opportunistic quality to this kind of merchandising—and the wider Zazzle-fication of the web—made me wonder whether eclipse goggles are more festive than functional.

— adrienne lafrance, The Atlantic, "Are Eclipse Goggles a Scam?," 20 July 2017
Wild Plum Events & Eats is putting on a festive Ceviche Pop-Up soiree on Saturday, July 22, at its new event center in the former Dutch Oven Café spot, 1621 N. Orchard St., in Boise.

— james patrick kelly, idahostatesman, "Chill out at Ceviche Pop-Up soiree in Boise," 20 July 2017
Green noted that this kind of festive voting tradition already exists in Puerto Rico, and voting rates there have historically exceeded 80 percent.

— thomas macmillan, Daily Intelligencer, "This Might Be the Best Idea for Turning Out More Voters in U.S. Elections," 8 July 2017
The couple threw on some festive American flag jammies, while others like William Shatner and Mark Ruffalo offered simple tweets in honor of the big day.

— chancellor agard, EW.com, "How stars are celebrating the Fourth of July," 4 July 2017

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