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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
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2024
The gigantic dip in the middle is the transition between the PowerPC and Intel eras; the peaks on either side of it represent the heyday of the PowerPC and Intel eras.
—Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 18 June 2024
Editors’ Picks In his heyday, Mr. Smith produced as many as 11 fairs a year, sometimes two on the same weekend.
—Fred A. Bernstein, New York Times, 26 May 2024
Built in the 18th century, the estate is decorated in the style of its heyday between 1776 and 1796.
—Tomris Laffly, EW.com, 14 June 2024
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'heyday.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Heyday.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heyday. Accessed 11 Jul. 2024.
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