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Synonyms

merry

1 American  
[mer-ee] / ˈmɛr i /

adjective

merrier, merriest

  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.

idioms

  1. make merry,

    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.
Merry 2 American  
[mer-ee] / ˈmɛr i /

noun

  1. a female given name.

merry British  
/ ˈmɛrɪ /

adjective

  1. cheerful; jolly

  2. very funny; hilarious

  3. informal slightly drunk

  4. archaic delightful

  5. to revel; be festive

  6. informal to disturb greatly; disrupt

"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

Pronunciation

See Mary.

Other Word Forms

  • merrily adverb
  • merriness noun
  • overmerrily adverb
  • overmerriness noun
  • overmerry adjective
  • unmerrily adverb
  • unmerry adjective

Etymology

Origin of merry

First recorded before 900; Middle English meri(e),myrie, murie, Old English myr(i)ge, mer(i)ge “pleasant, delightful”

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.

Nonetheless if the market doesn’t make strides over the remainder of the holiday season, investors won’t be feeling very merry.

From Barron's

“It feels very natural. I love being with so many people, the more the merrier.”

From Los Angeles Times

The more the merrier is especially true during the holiday season.

From Barron's

Australia prides itself on being a merry, safe country and Bondi Beach has long been a symbol of that.

From BBC

Snow already lying on the ground on Christmas Day may make things look merry and bright, but it does not count under the official definition.

From BBC

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.