as in merry
indicative of or marked by high spirits or good humor
we arrived at the Christmas party to find everyone already in a festive mood, perhaps owing in part to the punch
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Recent Examples of festive
Users can create two different lighting effects and enjoy different festive scenes inside of the lantern.
—
Katie Decker-Jacoby, StyleCaster, 4 Feb. 2026
For a wider reach, Harrods also launched a festive campaign starring entrepreneur and philanthropist Laurinda Ho from one of Macao’s most influential families.
—Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 4 Feb. 2026
The festive horror centers on Gino, whose traditional Italian family Christmas Eve celebration descends into chaos when his deceased grandmother returns from the dead and embarks on a killing spree.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 4 Feb. 2026
Tropical Retreat Need a festive kickoff to your destination wedding in a fun tropical locale?
—Shelby Wax, Vogue, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for festive
Katie Decker-Jacoby, StyleCaster, 4 Feb. 2026
For a wider reach, Harrods also launched a festive campaign starring entrepreneur and philanthropist Laurinda Ho from one of Macao’s most influential families.
—Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 4 Feb. 2026
The festive horror centers on Gino, whose traditional Italian family Christmas Eve celebration descends into chaos when his deceased grandmother returns from the dead and embarks on a killing spree.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 4 Feb. 2026
Tropical Retreat Need a festive kickoff to your destination wedding in a fun tropical locale?
—Shelby Wax, Vogue, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for festive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for festive
Adjective
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Which means if there’s more than two inches of snow on the ground, a merry band of Aurora volunteers spread out across neighborhoods to help seniors clear their sidewalks, stoops and driveways.—
Denise Crosby,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Jan. 2026
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In fact, the more, the merrier!—
Kaitlyn Yarborough,
Southern Living,
17 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The surviving kids begin to suspect something is up, but their attempts to appeal to this world’s sad excuses for adult supervision — a jolly mailman, a blank-faced nurse, and a talking train — just lead to more murders.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
23 Jan. 2026
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The jolly grifter gets away with it.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Nor has the evidence of his cheerful brokering of money and information with current and former Russian, Israeli, and US government officials amounted to the kind of deep-cover operation some believe.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
31 Jan. 2026
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Amazon’s selection, however, renewed my faith in cheap-and-cheerful bottoms.—
Annie Blackman,
InStyle,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Festive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/festive. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.
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