Yuletide

American  

[yool-tahyd] / ˈyulˌtaɪd /

Or yuletide

noun

1. the Christmas season.

2. the season of an ancient Germanic pagan holiday centering around the winter solstice, now sometimes celebrated by neopagans.

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adjective

1. of or relating to the Christmas season.

2. of or relating to the season of an ancient Germanic pagan holiday centering around the winter solstice, now sometimes celebrated by neopagans.

Usage

What does yuletide mean? Yuletide is sometimes used as another word for Christmastime—the Christmas season.The word yule can be used as another name for Christmas, the Christian holiday to celebrate the birth of Jesus. It can also be used to mean the same thing as yuletide—the Christmas season.However, yule can also refer to the celebration of the Winter Solstice that’s observed in some Pagan traditions, and yuletide can be applied to the time when this is observed.Regardless of which holiday is being observed, yuletide occurs in late December.When it’s used in reference to Christmas, yuletide is often intended to sound a bit old-timey—yuletide carols being sung by a choir, and all that.Example: I cherish the yuletide memories of my youth, of sitting by the hearth and listening to tales of Christmases gone by.

Etymology

Origin of Yuletide

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English; Yule + tide

Example Sentences

“He’s been called the Christmas devil,” said Jeff Belanger, author of “The Fright Before Christmas,” a compendium of so-called “Yuletide monsters.”

From Los Angeles Times

Yuletide frolics are a key part of that strategy.

From BBC

Appeared in the December 20, 2025, print edition as 'A Merry Memoir of Yuletide Anarchy'.

From The Wall Street Journal

But the vibes were darker this year, quite literally: Melania showed up to the event dressed less for Yuletide than for the funeral of a second-tier Batman villain.

From Salon

In keeping with the tradition of Yuletide pullovers, Yiayia knits a bright-red Christmas sweater adorned with tassels and bells for her grandson’s dog.

From The Wall Street Journal