merry

adjective

mer·​ry ˈmer-ē 

ˈme-rē

merrier; merriest

1

: full of gaiety or high spirits : mirthful

eat, drink, and be merry

2

: marked by festivity or gaiety

a merry holiday time

3

: quick, brisk

a merry pace

4

archaic : giving pleasure : delightful

merrily

ˈmer-ə-lē 

ˈme-rə-

adverb

merriness

ˈmer-ē-nəs 

ˈme-rē-

noun

Synonyms

• blithe
• blithesome
• festive
• gay
• gleeful
• jocose
• jocular
• jocund
• jolly
• jovial
• laughing
• mirthful
• sunny

Choose the Right Synonym for merry

merry, blithe, jocund, jovial, jolly mean showing high spirits or lightheartedness.

merry suggests cheerful, joyous, uninhibited enjoyment of frolic or festivity.

a merry group of revelers

blithe suggests carefree, innocent, or even heedless gaiety.

arrived late in his usual blithe way

jocund stresses elation and exhilaration of spirits.

singing, dancing, and jocund feasting

jovial suggests the stimulation of conviviality and good fellowship.

dinner put them in a jovial mood

jolly suggests high spirits expressed in laughing, bantering, and jesting.

our jolly host enlivened the party

Examples of merry in a Sentence

Let's eat, drink, and be merry!

They sang a merry little song.

Recent Examples on the Web

Once that rocket stage releases its spacecraft, which goes off on its own merry way, it is designed, in many cases, to either fall back to Earth or remain circling in the atmosphere. —Ramin Skibba, Rolling Stone, 6 July 2024

Lisa Kudrow plays the jolly leader of a merry band of thieves in the official trailer for Time Bandits, the Apple TV+ fantasy comedy that co-creator Taika Waititi adapted from the 1981 Terry Gilliam film of the same name. —Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019

Popular on Variety Bob Iger is bringing his merry band of potential successors to Sun Valley. —Brent Lang, Variety, 19 June 2024

The asteroid would then continue on its merry way, relatively unbothered by the impact with our deflector but on a slightly new orbit that hopefully never intersects the Earth. —Paul Sutter, Ars Technica, 10 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English mery, from Old English myrge, merge; akin to Old High German murg short — more at brief

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Phrases Containing merry

• be on one's merry way
• go on one's merry way
• lead (someone) a merry chase
• lead (someone) a (merry) dance
• make merry
• merry-andrew
• merry-go-round
• merry widow
• play merry hell with

Kids Definition

merry

adjective

mer·​ry ˈmer-ē 

merrier; merriest

1

: full of good humor and good spirits : mirthful

2

: marked by gaiety or festivity

a merry Christmas

merrily

ˈmer-ə-lē 

adverb

merriness

ˈmer-ē-nəs 

noun