noun
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merriment characteristic of a festival, party, etc
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any festival or other celebration
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(plural) festive proceedings; celebrations
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of festivity
1350–1400; Middle English festivite (< Old French ) < Latin fēstīvitās. See festive, -ity
Explanation
Festivity is a fancy word for “party” or “celebration.” It’s often plural, because everyone loves to party, as in all the holiday festivities that happen at the end of the year. The word festive describes balloons, fancy clothes, finger foods, and other things that go with celebrations. Likewise, a festivity is any kind of festive occasion. A birthday party, surprise party, graduation party, and Halloween party are all festivities. The word festivity shares a Latin root with the word feast. At festivities, people eat, drink, and are merry.
Vocabulary lists containing festivity
Mardi Gras: Fun
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Copper Sun
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"Allied with Green," Vocabulary from the short story
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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.
See Examples For:
In 2008, John Swansburg argued that we should ditch this particular festivity: “Seems like a nice idea, the birthday dinner. It is not. It is a tedious, wretched affair.”
From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026
Marco Piemontese’s striking period costumes conjured the artists’ milieu, and Marcus Doshi’s lighting evoked both festivity and the tragedy of the ending.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
Every year, the 56-year-old singer has gift-wrapped a new festivity for her fans.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 11, 2025
It's still only November, but the Christmas TV adverts are coming in thick and fast, bringing a sprinkling of festivity to our screens.
From BBC ● Nov. 8, 2023
Everything gives way before the recurring torment and festivity of passion.
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
An 11-story Catrina -- an elegantly dressed female skeleton -- stands in the Zocalo, the capital's main square, as part of this year's festivities.
From Barron's ● Oct. 31, 2026
The Halloween festivities start early in the day at Walt Disney Concert Hall.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
But I drove the car in Monterey, Calif., last month, during the annual classic-car festivities ending with Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
Every year, a person of special importance serves as the ceremonial guitar string cutter to open the festivities.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026
Other events of the four-day festivities included an alien invader costume contest, a Martian panic bike race, and an alien attack reenactment.
From "Spooked!" by Gail Jarrow
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
