merriment

[mer-i‐, mer-ee-muhnt]

noun

1. cheerful or joyful gaiety; mirth; hilarity; laughter.

   Antonyms: melancholy, misery

2. Obsolete.,  a cause of mirth; a jest, entertainment, etc.

merriment

/ ˈmɛrɪmənt /

noun

1. gaiety, fun, or mirth

Other Word Forms

• overmerriment noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of merriment¹

First recorded in 1570–80; merry + -ment

Synonym Study

See mirth.

Example Sentences

A festival on a sandbar brought 90 minutes of merriment to hundreds of people in the Isles of Scilly.

From BBC

The rest of the episode combines bloody, frantic action; a thriller; an absurd stage play; and “choreography and merriment.”

From Salon

There shall be no more merriment, and in the words of Nat King Cole, it is time to straighten up and fly right.

From Salon

Watching their bloodied, bruised heroes emerge from whatever piles of flaming wreckage they’ve wrought amid so much forced merriment has a way of boosting our morale out of the humbug doldrums.

From Salon

Ahead of the annual letters complaining that the Dodgers celebrate the winning of a mere division title with Champagne and much merriment, a reminder:

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• hilarity 
• revelry