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.
Earth, Wind & Fire’s cheery, uplifting hits were at odds with the decadeslong internal strain that eventually tore the band apart.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 18, 2026
She stops to talk, or shouts a cheery "Hi, you alright?" to nearly everybody passing on foot or by car.
From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026
Wall Street didn’t agree with that cheery assessment.
From Barron's • Apr. 17, 2026
Patricia Eddings, an expert in trace evidence, is short, with fiery red hair and a cheery Mississippi drawl.
From Slate • Apr. 6, 2026
Despite his cheery disposition, I knew my dad hated what he did for a living.
From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi
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.
