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
For someone who had attended the festivity barely a week prior, the resolution proposed by board chair Garry Bredefeld was divisive, not unifying.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — In the past, playing a regular-season game abroad would bring a sense of festivity for a New England Patriots team that is unbeaten in three previous international appearances.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 9, 2023
It's still only November, but the Christmas TV adverts are coming in thick and fast, bringing a sprinkling of festivity to our screens.
From BBC ● Nov. 8, 2023
He said that “a life without festivity is a long road without an inn.”
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
Except here, parents can bring their kids along for the festivities and check out a penguin exhibit or ride a roller coaster all in the same night.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
Singers performed on four stages, and the festivities went on past midnight.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
"I have a feeling it is going to be mental," he said ahead of the festivities.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
When the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrated on the field after winning the World Series in October 2024, there was one person notably missing from the festivities: Mark Walter, the team’s owner.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
Several students dozed in the back, overcome no doubt by the previous evening’s festivities.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
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.
