1
as in cheerfulness
a mood characterized by high spirits and amusement and often accompanied by laughter
rather than mourn our friend's death we celebrated his life, and his memorial service was more notable for its festivity than its funereal gloom
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in celebration
a time or program of special events and entertainment in honor of something
year-long festivities will mark the 300th anniversary of the city's founding
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in merrymaking
joyful or festive activity
in keeping with their habit of doing everything in a big way, the couple's wedding will entail a whole weekend of festivity
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of festivity
The game — part of the NBA All-Star Weekend — saw GloRilla and various other celebs from the worlds of music, TV/film and sports kick off Friday’s evening’s festivities at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California.
—
Bob Mehr, Memphis Commercial Appeal, 13 Feb. 2026
Buzelis will be the only Bulls representative at the All-Star festivities in Los Angeles.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 13 Feb. 2026
One plane was pointed toward Los Angeles, ready to carry a large contingent of the traveling party headed south for this weekend’s NBA All-Star festivities.
—Jeff McDonald, San Antonio Express-News, 12 Feb. 2026
So which players and positions might make sense when April 23-25’s festivities finally get here?
—Jesse Newell, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for festivity
Bob Mehr, Memphis Commercial Appeal, 13 Feb. 2026
Buzelis will be the only Bulls representative at the All-Star festivities in Los Angeles.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 13 Feb. 2026
One plane was pointed toward Los Angeles, ready to carry a large contingent of the traveling party headed south for this weekend’s NBA All-Star festivities.
—Jeff McDonald, San Antonio Express-News, 12 Feb. 2026
So which players and positions might make sense when April 23-25’s festivities finally get here?
—Jesse Newell, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for festivity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for festivity
Noun
-
His cheerfulness and laughter often brought strength and refreshment to me in difficult times.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Raines replied, her usual cheerfulness stepping up a notch.—
Rebecca Boone,
Fortune,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Lunar New Year celebrations are in full swing as millions participate in festivities and honor traditions believed to bring good fortune.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
-
His government last year banned the popular Budapest Pride celebration and allowed facial recognition technology to be used to identify anyone participating despite the ban.—
MATTHEW LEE,
Arkansas Online,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Museums also make for a great break from holiday-merrymaking.—
Zoe Baillargeon,
Travel + Leisure,
20 Dec. 2025
-
The merrymaking vibes are cemented with a glowing carousel, nativity scenes (belénes), and loads of handcrafted ornaments and gifts to choose from.—
Nicole Kliest,
Vogue,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The director wiped away tears as she was welcomed to the stage at the Eccles with a standing ovation; the crowd continued to clap and cheer as the cast joined her with Tatum picking up his pint-sized co-star to swing her around with glee.—
Angelique Jackson,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2026
-
When Huskies head coach Dan Hurley called a timeout, a sellout crowd of 19,812 erupted with deafening glee.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Key events during the festival April 24-26 will be the VIP party on Friday, Porsches & Power on Prospect on Saturday and the main show at Scripps Park on Sunday.—
Noah Lyons,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 Feb. 2026
-
As the Year of the Horse galloped in, revelers ushered in the most prominent festival on the Chinese Lunar calendar with some quirks – from Kung Fu robots to Harry Potter’s teenage nemesis – and some reflection.—
CNN staff,
CNN Money,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Mardi Gras, also known as Fat Tuesday, marks the climax and end of the weekslong Carnival season and a final chance for indulgence, feasting and revelry before the Christian Lent period of sacrifice and reflection.—
Sara Cline,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Valentine's Day pagan connections Lupercalia was a debaucherous festival that celebrated the coming of spring that included animal sacrifices and drunken revelry to honor Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, and the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.—
Kate Perez,
USA Today,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Slope regulars know that après-ski is a time for food, drink, and merriment after a day out in the cold.—
Maddie Topliff,
Better Homes & Gardens,
28 Jan. 2026
-
But the day after the freezing celebration parade in Chicago, the space shuttle Challenger exploded after takeoff in Florida, putting an abrupt end to national merriment.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
As skyscrapers towered over them, their cheers, chants and stomps wove through downtown Dallas.—
Jessica Ma,
Dallas Morning News,
18 Feb. 2026
-
As athletes from Croatia and Australia were finishing their qualification efforts in the cross-country women’s team sprint event, they were joined by a four-legged friend who drew massive cheers from the crowd.—
Joseph Wilkinson,
New York Daily News,
18 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Festivity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/festivity. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
