MERRIMENT Synonyms: 143 Similar and Opposite Words

merriment

noun

ˈmer-i-mənt

Definition of merriment

as in glee

a mood characterized by high spirits and amusement and often accompanied by laughter their unexpected merriment made him nervously inquire as to the reason for it

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in festivity

joyful or festive activity the wedding reception merriment lasted long into the night

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 merriment Their laughs and chatter fill the countryside and one another’s hearts, the merriment binding them all together like caterpillars in one big cocoon. — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 24 Apr. 2026 Then, to the merriment of all, Zefarino and the boys would come in with three bucks. — Jack O'Connor, Outdoor Life, 23 Apr. 2026 Lanie breaks into the merriment. — Literary Hub, 14 Apr. 2026 And with that same energy, my wife and I trodded further into the fair in hot pursuit of merriment and wonder. — Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for merriment

Recent Examples of Synonyms for merriment

Noun

The scourge of Steve Spurrier Spurrier took too many verbal jabs to list here and took special glee in beating the Dawgs, never forgiving them for beating his Florida Gators in his 1966 senior season, ruining their SEC championship hopes.

— The Athletic College Football Staff, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026
Voiced by Tom Kenny, SpongeBob’s unerring positivity and childlike glee immediately captured our hearts and minds, so much so that the show has continued for more than 25 years.

— Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of glee

Noun

Despite Nike‘s slate of signature basketball sneakers leaning into Halloween each year and Sabrina Ionescu being on her fourth model, a Nike Sabrina has never before been a part of the festivities.

— Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 24 Sep. 2026
At one point during the festivities, DJ Pee Wee (aka Anderson Paak, Mars’ opening act) took over the turntables inside the vinyl booth to hype up the crowd even more.

— Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of festivity

Noun

The service Professionalism comes with genuine warmth, cheerfulness, and a sense of people absolutely loving their jobs.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Aug. 2026
Kikuko sometimes mistook Shigejiro’s cheerfulness for egoism owing to the distortions produced by her illness.

— Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of cheerfulness

Noun

The dinner capped a long, but friendly, day of meetings and celebrations, as the world’s two most powerful leaders seek to settle trade differences while simultaneously thawing the icy relationship between the United States and China.

— Christian Datoc, The Washington Examiner, 25 Sep. 2026
Beginning with a full museum activation on Thursday, the celebrations extend through the rest of the weekend, both at the museum's National Mall home and The Wharf, located along the historic Washington Channel of the Potomac River.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of celebration

Noun

Moments later, murmurs, then cheers, rippled out from where Pasitney, Gaudry, and Espersen stood.

— J. B. MacKinnon, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026
After Rush had so many issues, the Falcons finally brought in fourth-string quarterback Jack Strand, to the hearty cheers of the crowd.

— Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of cheer

Noun

Nor did great merrymaking surround its 2001 move to pioneer quantitative easing.

— William Pesek, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
Once ground was completely covered with shards of tableware, folks journeyed from their seats into the center of the room for more dancing and merrymaking.

— Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 11 June 2026

Definition of merrymaking

Noun

But the rollicking jollity that accompanies the final two acts, which includes the entrance of pirates and the abduction of Marina to a brothel, robs the ending of some of its pathos.

— Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026
The finale is an ambiguous mix of jollity and agitation, with a piccolo shrieking above a militant march.

— Scott Cantrell, Dallas Morning News, 6 Mar. 2026

Definition of jollity

Browse Nearby Words

merrily

merriment

merriness

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Merriment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/merriment. Accessed 28 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of merriment

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

fungible

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes