cheery
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of cheery
Explanation
Something that's cheery makes you feel happy. A cheery summer day is sunny and bright. It's always fun to spend time with a cheery friend, one who is positive and happy, or to participate in some cheery activity, like watching a funny movie or having a picnic. Cheery things do exactly what they sound like — they cheer you up. You can also use cheerful to mean the same thing, and both words are rooted in cheer, from the Anglo-French chere, "the face," with its Greek root kara, "head."
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:
On that cheery end-of-week note, let’s pivot to my colleagues’ suggestions about how to get your weekend off to a happier start:
From Slate ● Nov. 6, 2026
The title character of “Buddy” is a falsely cheery unicorn, who presides over a series not unlike “Barney & Friends.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2026
On the other side of the Atlantic, there's Viv Truran, an equally cheeky and cheery 82-year-old from Cardiff.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
Even the brief imitation of Lennon’s “losing control” scream is laser-precise, meant to boost the song’s momentum and carry it through a cheery and lazy surf solo.
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026
“Welcome to Make-A-Moment,” Deirdre says, not too cheery, not too distant.
From "They Both Die at the End" by Adam Silvera
The band later had hits with much cheerier material, including "Friday I'm in Love".
From Barron's ● Dec. 26, 2025
Things were no cheerier when officials from the Department of Justice spoke to MLAs.
From BBC ● Mar. 2, 2024
Taken together they're the closest any of us will come to knowing what it's like to pass through a black hole and emerge in a cheerier existence.
From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2023
A brightly lit home is cheerier and welcoming.
From Seattle Times ● May 16, 2023
He returned from Mapleton the proprietor of a hundred acres of bush in a newly settled western township, and felt much the better and cheerier that his excursion had ended so.
From Cedar Creek From the Shanty to the Settlement by Elizabeth Hely Walshe
Their festive rush through the streets will make you fall in love with New York's cheeriest seasonal spots while longing for the moment when strangers Dash and Lily finally collide.
From Salon ● Dec. 20, 2024
During a 2005 interview with Mr. Knight on MSNBC, Mr. Carlson criticized him for espousing “the sickest” of beliefs but then added, “You are one of the cheeriest guests we’ve ever had.”
From New York Times ● Nov. 23, 2022
Defence stocks rose, rarely the cheeriest sign from a human perspective.
From Reuters ● Sep. 21, 2022
Not the cheeriest sentiment, perhaps, but — just as with the fleeting beauty of the cherry blossoms — periodical cicadas do lend themselves to verse.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 8, 2021
Obiora’s letters are the cheeriest and the most irregular.
From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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