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

Among the cards sold through Temu was nadolig llawen mam a dad - merry Christmas mum and dad in Welsh - featuring two hedgehogs nose to nose while snow falls.

From BBC

Her subsequent album, "Merry Christmas," has sold 18 million copies and is blasted everywhere people go from the time the pumpkins get packed away till the tree comes down.

From Salon

This year’s tour, which launches Nov. 6 at the Yaamava Theater in Highland and will stop Nov. 8 at the Hollywood Bowl, comes accompanied by a 30th-anniversary deluxe reissue of Carey’s “Merry Christmas” LP and arrives as she begins her yearly push to get “All I Want for Christmas Is You” to the top of Billboard’s Hot 100.

From Los Angeles Times

After “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” what’s the second-best song on the “Merry Christmas” album?

From Los Angeles Times

Yet this new “Merry Christmas” reissue draws attention to the fact that it’s been 30 years since it came out.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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