revelry
Americannoun
-
revelries
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of revelry
late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at revel, -ry
Explanation
Revelry is a wild, fun time. If you enjoy the revelry of a New Year's Eve party, you might pay for partying hard the next day. The noun revelry means merrymaking, but because it comes from the French word reveler meaning to rebel, its tone indicates carousing or noisy partying. It's not your grandparents' tame, sedate cocktail party: revelry is a full-throttle festive gathering, where people outwardly enjoy themselves. In fact, a wild party was once called a "revel," though you don't hear that term used much today.
Vocabulary lists containing revelry
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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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:
In some caves where enlightened paradise is depicted, it’s utopic: singers and dancers prancing in revelry.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
As Mozart, Sharpe veers dramatically through moments of unadulterated revelry and angst-ridden inner turmoil.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2026
Health officials covered in protective gear are seen disembarking the ship and plush lounges, usually a place for relaxation or late-night revelry, sit deserted.
From BBC ● May 5, 2026
“The Devil Wears Prada 2” marketing campaign is so garish and transparent that it feels more like an in-universe joke from the first movie, rather than a revelry.
From Salon ● Apr. 20, 2026
Those humble replicas of the revelry of former times served to show Aureliano Segundo himself how much his spirits had declined and to what a degree his skill as a masterful carouser had dried up.
From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Meditative revelries from celebrities like Andrew Garfield and Ayo Edebiri helped make film fandom cool — not to mention contagious.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 28, 2025
Instead, he has seen a 100% increase in bookings for in-person events, though they are much smaller than the 5,000-person revelries he often staged before the pandemic.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 14, 2022
Puritan efforts to crack down on Christmas revelries in England before 1620 had little impact.
From Salon ● Dec. 24, 2020
The coronavirus may have silenced traditional revelries for the Fourth of July, but officials and others still aim to celebrate the country’s birthday using creativity, technology and safety.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 2, 2020
Among the upper classes in St. Petersburg balls, routs, and all carnival revelries begin to crowd thick and fast upon each other as early as the commencement of February.
From Harper's New Monthly Magazine, No. 22, March, 1852, Volume 4. by
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.
