blithe
[blahyth, blahyth]
- joyous, merry, or happy in disposition; glad; cheerful: Everyone loved her for her blithe spirit.
- without thought or regard; carefree; heedless: a blithe indifference to anyone's feelings.
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Origin of blithe
before 1000; Middle English; Old English blīthe; cognate with Old Norse blīthr, Old High German blīdi, Gothic bleiths
Synonyms
See more synonyms for blithe on Thesaurus.com1. happy, mirthful, sprightly, light-hearted, buoyant, joyful, blithesome.
Antonyms
1. joyless.
Blithe
[blahyth, blahyth]
- a female given name.
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Blythe
or Blithe
[blahyth, blahyth]
- a female given name.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for blithe
Contemporary Examples
Sadly, Republicans—who have repeatedly slammed Obama for this kind of blithe incoherence—are not immune to the same disorder.
I missed Don's chiseled mug and Roger's blithe wisecracks and Peggy's prickly chutzpah.
Flashing a smug grin while throwing up your collective shoulders in blithe befuddlement should convince absolutely no one.
Historical Examples
Away to your chamber, sweeting, and keep a blithe face, for she who confesses is shriven.
The White CompanyArthur Conan Doyle
But Bismarck, although he carried a blithe front, was far from comfortable.
Camps, Quarters and Casual PlacesArchibald Forbes
Songsters, all so blithe and gay, Know ye what your carols say?
What Sami Sings with the BirdsJohanna Spyri
She never remembered to have heard Charlie whistling so blithe an air.
The Law-BreakersRidgwell Cullum
"A blithe heart maks a blooming look," says Mattha to the girl.
The Shadow of a CrimeHall Caine
blithe
- very happy or cheerful
- heedless; casual and indifferent
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Word Origin
Old English blīthe
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for blithe
adj.
Old English bliþe "joyous, kind, cheerful, pleasant," from Proto-Germanic *blithiz "gentle, kind" (cf. Old Saxon bliði "bright, happy," Middle Dutch blide, Dutch blijde, Old Norse bliðr "mild, gentle," Old High German blidi "gay, friendly," Gothic bleiþs "kind, friendly, merciful").
Rare since 16c. No cognates outside Germanic. "The earlier application was to the outward expression of kindly feeling, sympathy, affection to others, as in Gothic and ON.; but in OE. the word had come more usually to be applied to the external manifestation of one's own pleased or happy frame of mind, and hence even to the state itself." [OED]
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper