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:
Describing Scolyer as a "cheery, down-to-earth, lad from Launceston" and a brilliant, internationally recognised scientist, he said: "He will be remembered as a truly great Australian."
From BBC ● Jun. 7, 2026
Rothko collectors tend to pay a premium for his canvases drenched in red—much like sports car enthusiasts—or in other cheery sunset hues.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026
Wall Street didn’t agree with that cheery assessment.
From Barron's ● Apr. 17, 2026
In addition, the factors contributing to the lower unemployment rate aren’t so cheery.
From Slate ● Apr. 3, 2026
The soldier standing behind him gave a cheery wave.
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
The band later had hits with much cheerier material, including "Friday I'm in Love".
From Barron's ● Dec. 26, 2025
Tory, a redheaded ray of sunshine, makes it even cheerier.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 13, 2024
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
So for several years the feud went on, and those who had known Ann in her cheerier days forgot that knowledge and spoke of her with open aversion as "dat awful ol' Mis' Pease."
From The heart of happy hollow A collection of stories by Dunbar, Paul Laurence
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
Defence stocks rose, rarely the cheeriest sign from a human perspective.
From Reuters ● Sep. 21, 2022
The cheeriest part of the school is the wellness center, with social workers, therapists, bean bag chairs and soothing paint colors.
From New York Times ● Dec. 24, 2021
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
I went up to the manager and said in my cheeriest voice, “Good afternoon. I am from the People’s Center summer camp, and I buy dinner groceries at this store.”
From "One Crazy Summer" by Rita Williams-Garcia
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.
