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In its earliest appearances in English, in the 16th century, heyday was used as an interjection that expressed elation or wonder (similar to our word hey, from which it derives). Within a few decades, heyday was seeing use as a noun meaning "high spirits." This sense can be seen in Act III, scene 4 of Hamlet, when the Prince of Denmark tells his mother, "You cannot call it love; for at your age / The heyday in the blood is tame…." The word's second syllable is not thought to be borne of the modern word day (or any of its ancestors), but in the 18th century the syllable's resemblance to that word likely influenced the development of the now-familiar use referring to the period when one's achievement or popularity has reached its zenith.
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Examples of heyday in a Sentence
Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Nov. 2024
Boxing had few competitors back in its heyday from the 1910s to the 1950s.
—Nina Turner, Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2024
The hotel takes inspiration from the railcars used in Thailand during King Rama V’s reign in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when train travel here was in its heyday.
—Chris Dong, Travel + Leisure, 24 Oct. 2024
His focus on the bottom line has yielded results, though profits are still a far cry from the late 2010s heyday as legacy media struggles.
—Danielle Chemtob, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024
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Dictionary Entries Near heyday
Cite this Entry
“Heyday.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heyday. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
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