merriment
Americannoun
-
cheerful or joyful gaiety; mirth; hilarity; laughter.
- Antonyms:
- melancholy, misery
-
Obsolete. a cause of mirth; a jest, entertainment, etc.
noun
Synonym Usage
See mirth.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of merriment
Explanation
Merriment can refer to fun activities or a feeling of happiness. Either way, a good time is being had. You know how merry means happy? Merriment refers to events and feelings that are happy. A party is a perfect example of merriment. If you hear a bunch of people laughing and joking, you might say, "Why all the merriment?" Merriment can also be an emotion: if you're very excited or happy, you're experiencing merriment.
Vocabulary lists containing merriment
Frankenwords: Words with Roots from Different Languages
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Words for the International Day of Happiness
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Chains
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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.
Swenson may be a step slower in this regard, but he plays it perfectly by accentuating the delight Sweeney takes in the merriment of Mrs. Lovett’s perverse rhyming game.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 3, 2026
In summoning so much mirth for its monument to merriment, “A Child’s Christmas in Wales” cheerfully rages against the dying of the light.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 19, 2025
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 ● Jan. 29, 2025
My will to live was slippery at best, but I knew I had to keep afloat for my eldest daughter, Grace, who loves birthdays, parties, and merriment.
From Slate ● May 13, 2024
Shirley pretended to share their merriment, but tears welled in her throat and she could only manage a weak smile.
From "In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson" by Bette Bao Lord
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
