merry

¹

[ mer-ee ]

adjective

, mer·ri·er, mer·ri·est.

1. full of cheerfulness or gaiety; joyous in disposition or spirit:

   a merry little man.

   Synonyms: glad, cheery, frolicsome, blithesome, blithe, happy

   Antonyms: sad

2. laughingly happy; mirthful; festively joyous; hilarious:

   a merry time at the party.

   Synonyms: gleeful, jovial, jolly

   Antonyms: solemn

3. Archaic. causing happiness; pleasant; delightful.

Merry

²

[ mer-ee ]

noun

1. a female given name.

merry

/ ˈmɛrɪ /

adjective

1. cheerful; jolly
2. very funny; hilarious
3. informal.
   slightly drunk
4. archaic.
   delightful
5. make merry
   to revel; be festive
6. play merry hell with informal.
   to disturb greatly; disrupt

Pronunciation Note

See Mary.

Derived Forms

• ˈmerrily, adverb
• ˈmerriness, noun

Other Words From

• mer·ri·ly adverb
• mer·ri·ness noun
• o·ver·mer·ri·ly adverb
• o·ver·mer·ri·ness noun
• o·ver·mer·ry adjective
• un·mer·ri·ly adverb
• un·mer·ry adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of merry¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English meri(e),myrie, murie, Old English myr(i)ge, mer(i)ge “pleasant, delightful”

Word History and Origins

Origin of merry¹

Old English merige agreeable

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. make merry, Older Use.
   1. to be happy or festive:

      The New Year's revelers were making merry in the ballroom.

   2. to make fun of; ridicule:

      The unthinking children made merry of the boy who had no shoes.

Example Sentences

"You can be merry with the king, you can share a joke with him," Mantel writes in Bring Up The Bodies.

From BBC

The inquiry said that during the refit of the building there was a failure to establish who was responsible for safety standards - ultimately leading to a “merry go round of buck passing”.

From BBC

Here’s a guide to queer TV shows, from ‘Dead Boy Detectives’ to ‘Veneno’ to ‘The L Word,’ to make your Pride Month merry.

From Los Angeles Times

The people in charge of tennis in France are embracing those other racket-adjacent sports, figuring, essentially: The more, the merrier.

From Seattle Times

Am I concerned about Mike Flynn ginning up violence and promising black swan events as he traipses around the countryside of wing states with his merry band of grifters selling Kremlin talking points as patriotism?

From Salon

Related Words

• amusing
• cheerful
• comical
• enjoyable
• fun-loving
• glad
• hilarious
• jolly
• joyful
• joyous
• lighthearted
• lively
• mad
• pleasant
• rollicking
• sunny
• winsome