revelry
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of revelry
late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at revel, -ry
Explanation
Revelry is a wild, fun time. If you enjoy the revelry of a New Year's Eve party, you might pay for partying hard the next day. The noun revelry means merrymaking, but because it comes from the French word reveler meaning to rebel, its tone indicates carousing or noisy partying. It's not your grandparents' tame, sedate cocktail party: revelry is a full-throttle festive gathering, where people outwardly enjoy themselves. In fact, a wild party was once called a "revel," though you don't hear that term used much today.
Vocabulary lists containing revelry
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Party Parlance for Mardi Gras
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New Year, New Words: Vocabulary for January
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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.
But it goes beyond the Times Square revelry.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 31, 2025
In a few hours, this small festival will not seem so small, fireworks, music, revelry, maybe garlic wreaths.
From Salon • Nov. 8, 2025
Prosecution barrister Jocelyn Ledward KC told jurors "revelry turned to tragedy in the blink of an eye".
From BBC • Oct. 29, 2025
They then quick-change into fabulous metallic gowns and, with the help of LED panels and lighting cues, the bedroom transforms into a fashion runway of scintillating secretaries, singing and dancing in feminine revelry.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 28, 2025
So Claudius seized Gertrude’s hand, urging her to join the revelry.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
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.
