Synonyms of merry

merry

adjective

ˈmer-ē 

as in jolly

indicative of or marked by high spirits or good humor

the traditional depiction of Santa Claus as a rotund man with merry, twinkling blue eyes

Synonyms & Similar Words

• jolly
• festive
• cheerful
• lively
• laughing
• jovial
• mirthful
• joyful
• sunny
• witty
• happy
• gleeful
• funny
• jocose
• jocular
• blithe
• jocund
• amused
• playful
• bright
• smiling
• blithesome
• humorous
• amusing
• gay
• spirited
• delighted
• joking
• joyous
• cheery
• carefree
• lighthearted
• blissful
• upbeat
• animated
• ecstatic
• exuberant
• buoyant
• jubilant
• perky
• frisky
• vivacious
• jaunty
• sprightly
• chipper
• blest
• giggling
• exultant
• frolicsome
• peppy
• bouncing
• rapturous
• optimistic
• radiant
• blessed
• euphoric
• enraptured
• hilarious
• chuckling
• flippant
• sportive
• lightsome
• high
• gladsome
• rosy
• easygoing
• unconcerned
• riotous
• hopeful
• facetious
• cavalier
• comic
• beaming
• insouciant
• sanguine
• comical
• thrilled
• jesting
• zippy
• overjoyed
• elated
• exhilarated
• uproarious
• ravished
• farcical
• happy-go-lucky
• tickled
• antic
• joshing
• sprightful
• entranced
• devil-may-care
• sidesplitting

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• sad
• unhappy
• blue
• sorrowful
• melancholy
• depressed
• glum
• disconsolate
• anguished
• dispirited
• aggrieved
• forlorn
• downcast
• dejected
• despondent
• crying
• crestfallen
• abject
• weeping
• heartbroken
• discontented
• wailing
• saddened
• brokenhearted
• disheartened
• disgruntled
• moody
• doleful
• mournful
• dark
• joyless
• lugubrious
• sobbing
• gloomy
• low-spirited
• heartsick
• downhearted
• sorry
• cheerless
• sullen
• black
• gray
• dolorous
• somber
• grey
• sombre
• woeful
• plaintive
• morose
• bleak
• heavyhearted
• dreary
• dismal
• desolate
• depressing
• miserable
• lachrymose
• moaning
• saturnine
• groaning
• wretched
• comfortless
• dull
• woebegone
• sluggish
• listless
• lethargic
• torpid

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective merry differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of merry are blithe, jocund, jolly, and jovial. While all these words mean "showing high spirits or lightheartedness," merry suggests cheerful, joyous, uninhibited enjoyment of frolic or festivity.

a merry group of revelers

When can blithe be used instead of merry?

The synonyms blithe and merry are sometimes interchangeable, but blithe suggests carefree, innocent, or even heedless gaiety.

arrived late in his usual blithe way

When could jocund be used to replace merry?

Although the words jocund and merry have much in common, jocund stresses elation and exhilaration of spirits.

singing, dancing, and jocund feasting

In what contexts can jolly take the place of merry?

The words jolly and merry are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, jolly suggests high spirits expressed in laughing, bantering, and jesting.

our jolly host enlivened the party

When is it sensible to use jovial instead of merry?

While in some cases nearly identical to merry, jovial suggests the stimulation of conviviality and good fellowship.

dinner put them in a jovial mood

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of merry

This merry, bloody, muddy trashing of Arthurian legend returns to theaters May 4 and 7 in a Fathom Entertainment engagement. —Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 30 Apr. 2025

Five picks later, and Terrance Ferguson might’ve stuck back in Denver, and had a merry reunion with Bo Nix as the Broncos’ matchup-nightmare tight end of the future. —Luca Evans, Denver Post, 25 Apr. 2025

Simplified spelling was now a national joke—the kooky obsession of an overzealous president and his merry band of misspellers. —Gabe Henry, Time, 15 Apr. 2025

Sister Mary Guadalupe wears rimless glasses, and her eyes are shaped like a merry jack-o’-lantern’s, flat on the bottom with semicircles on top. —Lawrence Wright, The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2025