festive

[ fes-tiv ]
See synonyms for: festivefestiveness on Thesaurus.com

adjective
  1. pertaining to or suitable for a feast or festival: festive decorations; a festive meal.

  2. joyous; merry: a festive mood.

Origin of festive

1
First recorded in 1645–55; from Latin festīvus “merry, lively, joyous,” equivalent to festus “festal” + -īvus -ive

Other words from festive

  • fes·tive·ly, adverb
  • fes·tive·ness, noun
  • non·fes·tive, adjective
  • non·fes·tive·ly, adverb
  • non·fes·tive·ness, noun
  • sub·fes·tive, adjective
  • sub·fes·tive·ly, adverb
  • sub·fes·tive·ness, noun
  • un·fes·tive, adjective
  • un·fes·tive·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use festive in a sentence

  • The story goes that all the saints, festively assembled, were drinking wine.

    St. Nicholas | George H. McKnight

British Dictionary definitions for festive

festive

/ (ˈfɛstɪv) /


adjective
  1. appropriate to or characteristic of a holiday, etc; merry

Origin of festive

1
C17: from Latin festīvus joyful, from festus of a feast

Derived forms of festive

  • festively, adverb
  • festiveness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012