merry
adjective
full of cheerfulness or gaiety; joyous in disposition or spirit.
merry
1 American
[mer-ee]
/ ˈmɛr i /
adjective
-
merrier,
comparative
-
merriest
superlative
-
full of cheerfulness or gaiety; joyous in disposition or spirit.
a merry little man.
- Synonyms:
- glad, cheery, frolicsome, blithesome, blithe, happy
- Antonyms:
- sad
-
laughingly happy; mirthful; festively joyous; hilarious.
a merry time at the party.
- Antonyms:
- solemn
-
Archaic. causing happiness; pleasant; delightful.
idioms
Merry
2
American
[mer-ee]
/ ˈmɛr i /
noun
merry
British
/ ˈmɛrɪ /
adjective
-
cheerful; jolly
-
very funny; hilarious
-
informal slightly drunk
-
archaic delightful
-
to revel; be festive
-
informal to disturb greatly; disrupt
Pronunciation
See Mary.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
merrinessnoun
-
overmerrinessnoun
-
overmerryadjective
-
unmerryadjective
-
merrilyadverb
-
overmerrilyadverb
-
unmerrilyadverb
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of merry
First recorded before 900; Middle English meri(e),myrie, murie, Old English myr(i)ge, mer(i)ge “pleasant, delightful”
Explanation
To be merry is to be happy, especially in a fun, festive way. Parties and celebrations are merry, and so are the fun people who attend them. This old fashioned word for “happy” is popular in December when people say, “Merry Christmas.” To be merry is to be happy, jaunty, and ready to frolic. A group of people laughing as they walk down the street is a merry gang. Anything merry is festive, often involving games, celebrations, and parties. A merry-go-round makes kids happy as it spins them around. Smiling and laughing are signs of being merry. If you go along your merry way, you walk away happily, maybe even skipping.
Vocabulary lists containing merry
Joy To The Word: Christmas Terms
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"The Moustache" and "Who We Really Are"
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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:
Although his association with “Star Trek” and Picard came to define how people perceived him, Stewart’s merry attitude about his claim to fame let us appreciate his range.
From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2026
The map has never been found, and a judge at Woolwich Crown Court said West had led the court, police and museum a "merry dance" over where it was.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
And no one among that afternoon’s merry band of Vikings has fully recovered since.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
He needs to be sent on his merry way far away from USC.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
He was merry, and we sate in an office in the warehouse while he feigned instruction and I feigned learning.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
On the Santa Monica Pier from 12:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Merry Go-Round building and West End.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 1, 2026
He collaborated with Noddy Holder's son, Django Holder, on the project, his first since the break-up of the band behind hits such as Merry Xmas Everybody.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
The Falstaff of Shakespeare’s “The Merry Wives of Windsor” is not the complex figure of the “Henry IV” plays.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
Merry, Faye’s editor, dreads breaking the news about Faye’s latest manuscript: “How do you tell her that her 15th book . . . is unsalvageable?”
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026
‘And you need not turn up your nose at the provender, Master Gimli,’ said Merry.
From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien
Basically, the more stocks that are participating in the rally, the merrier.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 9, 2026
There was no merrier illustration of the varieties of human experience than this runaway French hit, which was, like “Don Quixote,” translated into English by Smollett in 1748.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 9, 2026
The more the merrier is especially true during the holiday season.
From Barron's ● Dec. 15, 2025
Stone’s iPad, with its open sonic complexity, created a sense of space, a roomy aural soundscape in which jazz and butoh became elements not egos, not larger than life, just more life, the merrier.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 10, 2025
‘It is largely on account of Balin that I have come to ask the advice of those that dwell in Rivendell. But tonight let us speak of merrier things!’
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
It’s the merriest time of the year — and arguably when the resort is at its glistening, glowing best with seasonal food offerings, holiday ride makeovers and unique live entertainment options.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 19, 2025
While each piece features rotating focal points, they all tie together with a beautiful gold scroll border, working to create the merriest tablescape of all.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 17, 2021
It was here and now it is gone, the merriest, brightest, and most thankful Christmas the world has ever known.
From Slate ● Dec. 21, 2020
But over the past year, Corden has become one of the merriest revelations on American TV, defying early skepticism and finding a loyal audience in the cluttered late-night landscape.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 1, 2016
Since I’d been helping out stitching the detectives’ costumes, I’d become friendly with a few of the agents, and Mr. Webster was the merriest.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
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