1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

merriment

noun

ˈmer-i-mənt How to pronounce merriment (audio)
Definition of merrimentnext
1
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
2
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
  1. glee
  2. festivity
  3. cheerfulness
  4. celebration
  5. cheer
  6. merrymaking
  7. mirth
  8. jollity
Noun
  • The next day, JT showed a snippet of his viral cameo that had everyone and their mother throwing up their phones in glee.
    — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Other, less cartoonish responses have lingered on Cambridge’s comparable glee in brandishing Arday in the first place.
    — Lauren Michele Jackson, New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of glee
Noun
  • The festivities stretch along Mulberry Street between Canal and Houston Streets with hundreds of vendors.
    — Alexa Herrera, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026
  • The South Florida festivities mark the end of carnival season, which celebrates Caribbean culture.
    — Raisa Habersham, Miami Herald, 17 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
  • In Barranquilla, an exclusive celebration at the embarkation point channels the city’s carnival, a convergence of African, Indigenous, and Spanish traditions brought to life through cumbia, mapalé, and color on every departure, year-round.
    — Condé Nast Traveler, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Last April, Phuwin appeared in a Loewe campaign based on Songkran, the Thai New Year’s celebration that has been likened to a nationwide water fight, though its rituals are meant to symbolize cleansing, reverence and good fortune.
    — Miles Socha, Footwear News, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of celebration
Noun
  • Even so, the magnitude of the cheers for Alonso, given the context of the game, was surprising, especially to those in the home dugout.
    — Will Sammon, New York Times, 16 Sep. 2026
  • In the real video of Rowe attempting to interview Sarkisian, the coach yelled a few Texas cheers before rushing away from the veteran sideline reporter to join his team’s celebration.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 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
  • Their pairing begs the question of whether misery and mirth alternate, blend, or coexist.
    — Eugenie Brinkema, ARTnews.com, 14 June 2026
  • There’s a fair bit of mirth in all this, and in Glanz’s brittle, snippy dialogue, which is abetted by the casting.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 4 June 2026
Definition of mirth
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

“Merriment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/merriment. Accessed 21 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of elegiac

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

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

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All