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.
Mexican couple Daniela Garcia and Fran Ruiloba joined in for the bottomless revelry after hearing about the event last year.
From Barron's • Jan. 11, 2026
The scenes of revelry from a joyous Venezuelan diaspora celebrating from Miami to Madrid were not repeated here.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 3, 2026
But it goes beyond the Times Square revelry.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 31, 2025
Although New Year’s Eve is typically a time of uninhibited revelry, more young partyers are wary of getting down.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 31, 2025
It is, in fact, a downbeat speech, almost an informal State of the Union address, designed to undercut the revelry and prepare the country for years of more pain and struggle.
From "Lincoln's Last Days: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever" by Bill O'Reilly
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.
