as in merry
indicative of or marked by high spirits or good humor
we arrived at the Christmas party to find everyone already in a festive mood, perhaps owing in part to the punch
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Recent Examples of festive
But rather than update what was there, Irvine saw an opportunity to add a greater contrast with the more festive waltz in the prior room as well as to embellish the Mansion’s tale.
—
Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2025
That proved to be the case for Sun, the yellow pup and her black coated sibling Luna, two puppies who ended up at Triple A Shelter, an animal rescue based in the Costa del Sol region of Spain over the festive break.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 17 Jan. 2025
Cold-weather cruises offer festive experiences and unique landscapes.
—Nathan Diller, USA TODAY, 17 Jan. 2025
The cobalt blue, ruby red, and emerald green are gorgeous for a festive Christmas tablescape, while pink, green, and purple are perfect for a spring occasion or Easter.
—Heather Bien, Southern Living, 7 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for festive 
Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2025
That proved to be the case for Sun, the yellow pup and her black coated sibling Luna, two puppies who ended up at Triple A Shelter, an animal rescue based in the Costa del Sol region of Spain over the festive break.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 17 Jan. 2025
Cold-weather cruises offer festive experiences and unique landscapes.
—Nathan Diller, USA TODAY, 17 Jan. 2025
The cobalt blue, ruby red, and emerald green are gorgeous for a festive Christmas tablescape, while pink, green, and purple are perfect for a spring occasion or Easter.
—Heather Bien, Southern Living, 7 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for festive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for festive
Adjective
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Our gift to you: have yourself a merry little moment with giant pandas Bao Li and Qing Bao.—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
24 Jan. 2025
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The American musical before 1927 had been light stuff—part operetta, part revue—a merry playground for sparklers like George M. Cohan and Cole Porter.—
Helen Shaw,
The New Yorker,
21 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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The same jolly collection also returns to the Top Streaming Albums chart for another year.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes,
4 Jan. 2025
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Winter break is a jolly time of the year for many children.—
Holly Garcia,
Parents,
31 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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But Lynch, who died last week, at seventy-eight, made films in which every cheerful surface seemed to obscure an eerie reality.—
Joshua Rothman,
The New Yorker,
25 Jan. 2025
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Videos of their vigorous, cheerful efforts soon went viral, drew international coverage and were a forceful counterpoint to Trump’s xenophobic insults.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Festive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/festive. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
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