Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

Thesaurus

cheer (up)

verb

Synonyms and Antonyms of cheer (up)

1 to become glad or hopeful
  • cheer up—things are bound to get better
Synonyms of cheer (up)

brighten, buck up, lighten, look up, perk (up)
Words Related to cheer (up)

rejoice

liven (up), revive

beam, glow, radiate, sparkle

encourage, gladden, hearten
Near Antonyms of cheer (up)

despair, despond

brood, fret, mope
Antonyms of cheer (up)

darken, sadden
2 to fill with courage or strength of purpose
  • the generalʼs speech cheered up the troops tremendously
Synonyms of cheer (up)

bear up, buck up, buoy (up), chirk (up), embolden, encourage, hearten, inspire, inspirit, steel
Words Related to cheer (up)

animate, enliven, invigorate

enforce, fortify, reinforce (also reenforce), strengthen

assure, reassure

boost, energize, excite, galvanize, provoke, quicken, rally, stimulate, stir
Near Antonyms of cheer (up)

demoralize, depress, sadden

debilitate, enfeeble, hamstring, undermine, weaken

intimidate, psych (out)
Antonyms of cheer (up)

daunt, discourage, dishearten, dispirit

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up cheer (up)? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show comments hide comments

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

obsequious

marked by fawning attentiveness

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. crosshair Roger Stone posts controversial photo

  2. feckless Former RNC chair derides Trump

  3. emergency, national emergency Trump declares crisis over wall

SEE ALL

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games