blithe
[ blahyth, blahyth ]
/ blaɪð, blaɪθ /
adjective, blith·er, blith·est.
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.
Nearby words
blistering, blisteringly, blistery, blit, blite, blithe, blither, blithering, blithesome, blithesomely, blitt
Origin of blithe
before 1000; Middle English; Old English blīthe; cognate with Old Norse blīthr, Old High German blīdi, Gothic bleiths
SYNONYMS FOR blithe
Related forms
Definition for blithe (2 of 3)
Blithe
[ blahyth, blahyth ]
/ blaɪð, blaɪθ /
noun
a female given name.
Definition for blithe (3 of 3)
Blythe
or Blithe
[ blahyth, blahyth ]
/ blaɪð, blaɪθ /
noun
a female given name.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for blithe
British Dictionary definitions for blithe
blithe
/ (blaɪð) /
adjective
very happy or cheerful
heedless; casual and indifferent
Derived Formsblithely, adverbblitheness, noun
Word Origin for blithe
Old English blīthe
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for blithe
blithe
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]
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper