cheery
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of cheery
Explanation
Something that's cheery makes you feel happy. A cheery summer day is sunny and bright. It's always fun to spend time with a cheery friend, one who is positive and happy, or to participate in some cheery activity, like watching a funny movie or having a picnic. Cheery things do exactly what they sound like — they cheer you up. You can also use cheerful to mean the same thing, and both words are rooted in cheer, from the Anglo-French chere, "the face," with its Greek root kara, "head."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Long after Massie left the stage, the mood around the hotel where his election night party was held stayed cheery.
From Slate • May 20, 2026
But Ohm is such a misanthrope that he’d never go to a cheery beach resort.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026
Wall Street didn’t agree with that cheery assessment.
From Barron's • Apr. 17, 2026
She displayed “Poppy,” a squeegee abstract in cheery red and blue hues, in her living room, with an untitled version in subtler white and green hues from 2009 hanging in her bedroom.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026
There were always cheery lights on and music and telephone-talking and...oh, dear, during the day I never noticed how the clock on the wall ticked off the seconds one by one very loudly.
From "The World According to Humphrey" by Betty G. Birney
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
