cheerful

[ cheer-fuhl ]

adjective

1. full of cheer; in good spirits:

   a cheerful person.

   Synonyms: jolly, sunny, buoyant, joyous, joyful, happy, blithe, gay, cheery

   Antonyms: miserable

2. promoting or inducing cheer; pleasant; bright:

   cheerful surroundings.

3. characterized by or expressive of good spirits or cheerfulness:

   cheerful songs.

4. hearty or ungrudging:

   cheerful giving.

   Synonyms: generous

   Antonyms: grudging

cheerful

/ ˈtʃɪəfʊl /

adjective

1. having a happy disposition; in good spirits
2. pleasantly bright; gladdening

   a cheerful room

3. hearty; ungrudging; enthusiastic

   cheerful help

Derived Forms

• ˈcheerfulness, noun
• ˈcheerfully, adverb

Other Words From

• cheerful·ly adverb
• cheerful·ness noun
• quasi-cheerful adjective
• quasi-cheerful·ly adverb
• un·cheerful adjective
• un·cheerful·ly adverb
• un·cheerful·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of cheerful¹

First recorded in 1400–50, cheerful is from the late Middle English word cherfull. See cheer, -ful

Example Sentences

Brezinski reported that Trump was “cheerful, upbeat, and interested in finding common ground with Democrats…” She claimed it is “time to do something different…not just to talk about Donald Trump, but to talk with him.”

From Salon

“He was as cheerful as a sunrise,” Times columnist Jim Murray wrote in 1982.

From Los Angeles Times

They are not the only reasons to be cheerful.

From BBC

The symbol of the day: the ubiquitous p***y hats, cheerful pink knitted confections worn by women reclaiming control over a body part that Trump memorably boasted about grabbing against his victims' wills.

From Salon

Despite Vance's grumbling about "childless cat ladies," the Harris campaign brought strong mom energy: cheerful but determined.

From Salon

Related Words

• animated
• bright
• buoyant
• cheery
• chipper
• chirpy
• effervescent
• enthusiastic
• good-natured
• happy
• jaunty
• jolly
• joyful
• lighthearted
• lively
• merry
• optimistic
• peppy
• perky
• pleasant