revelry
Americannoun
plural
revelriesnoun
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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Party Parlance for Mardi Gras
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New Year, New Words: Vocabulary for January
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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.
This story is part of Image’s December Revelry issue, honoring what music does so well: giving people a sense of permission to unapologetically be themselves.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 15, 2025
It also highlights what is missing from this series: Revelry did not exist in this ALCS.
From Washington Post • Oct. 24, 2022
Acknowledging the days historic events is something wedding planner Holly Poulter, creative director at Revelry Events says is "wise".
From BBC • Sep. 17, 2022
After side-by-side taste tests, chef Rachel Yang, of Joule, Revel, Revelry and Trove, prefers it for finishing dishes, even though, she notes, “It’s expensive.”
From Seattle Times • Aug. 29, 2017
Revelry had taken the place of staid propriety.
From Danger Or, Wounded in the House of a Friend by Arthur, T. S. (Timothy Shay)
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.
