noun
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merriment characteristic of a festival, party, etc
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any festival or other celebration
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(plural) festive proceedings; celebrations
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of festivity
1350–1400; Middle English festivite (< Old French ) < Latin fēstīvitās. See festive, -ity
Explanation
Festivity is a fancy word for “party” or “celebration.” It’s often plural, because everyone loves to party, as in all the holiday festivities that happen at the end of the year. The word festive describes balloons, fancy clothes, finger foods, and other things that go with celebrations. Likewise, a festivity is any kind of festive occasion. A birthday party, surprise party, graduation party, and Halloween party are all festivities. The word festivity shares a Latin root with the word feast. At festivities, people eat, drink, and are merry.
Vocabulary lists containing festivity
Mardi Gras: Fun
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Copper Sun
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"Allied with Green," Vocabulary from the short story
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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:
Marco Piemontese’s striking period costumes conjured the artists’ milieu, and Marcus Doshi’s lighting evoked both festivity and the tragedy of the ending.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
The incident took place on Saturday during an annual cultural festivity at the Laferrière Citadel, a Unesco World Heritage site in northern Haiti.
From BBC ● Apr. 14, 2026
Sure, the annual festivity has its fair share of signature Thanksgiving foods, but it can be hard — and frankly, overwhelming — to choose which specific dishes you’d like for your own, curated menu.
From Salon ● Nov. 23, 2024
Yet amid all the elaborate cultural festivity around the girl’s arrival at womanhood, there’s a sobering catch.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 16, 2024
All in the space of a night events had moved from festivity to a crisis, and he, Matthias, had taken a major role in both.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
Singers performed on four stages, and the festivities went on past midnight.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
The animal welfare group sent a letter to Lloyd Thomas, president of Aberaeron Yacht Club, with the suggestion to "swap fish-focused festivities for an animal-friendly celebration of Welsh produce" by hosting an Aberaeron Cabbage Fiesta.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
Ceuta's regional government cancelled the city's annual patron saint festivities, which were due to begin on Saturday, due to the "current circumstances".
From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026
Speaking of respect: The hill climb festivities are, in fact, a competition, featuring the world’s fastest cars being driven by a host of famous drivers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
After the festivities, Schindler still had the energy to make his rounds of the factory.
From "The Boy on the Wooden Box" by Leon Leyson
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.
