1
as in cheerfulness
a mood characterized by high spirits and amusement and often accompanied by laughter
rather than mourn our friend's death we celebrated his life, and his memorial service was more notable for its festivity than its funereal gloom
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in celebration
a time or program of special events and entertainment in honor of something
year-long festivities will mark the 300th anniversary of the city's founding
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in merrymaking
joyful or festive activity
in keeping with their habit of doing everything in a big way, the couple's wedding will entail a whole weekend of festivity
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of festivity
Midway through the first night of festivities, Venable sat in a cushy chair on the intimate theater’s stage.
—
Cody Stavenhagen, The Athletic, 20 Feb. 2025
The festivities will continue with surprise appearances from Saturday Night Live alums, Molly Shannon and Rachel Dratch, who present her with the Guinness World Record title for being the youngest host of the sketch comedy show.
—Esther Kang, People.com, 20 Feb. 2025
The special was part reflection, part reunion and a culmination of festivities that began on Friday with a concert.
—Nick Duffy, NBC News, 16 Feb. 2025
The festivities include a strong lineup of Louisiana-native artists to celebrate the host city.
—Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 9 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for festivity
Cody Stavenhagen, The Athletic, 20 Feb. 2025
The festivities will continue with surprise appearances from Saturday Night Live alums, Molly Shannon and Rachel Dratch, who present her with the Guinness World Record title for being the youngest host of the sketch comedy show.
—Esther Kang, People.com, 20 Feb. 2025
The special was part reflection, part reunion and a culmination of festivities that began on Friday with a concert.
—Nick Duffy, NBC News, 16 Feb. 2025
The festivities include a strong lineup of Louisiana-native artists to celebrate the host city.
—Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 9 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for festivity
Recent Examples of Synonyms for festivity
Noun
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That glee in the face of pain may come back to haunt Trump.—
Maureen Dowd,
The Mercury News,
25 Feb. 2025
-
Her glee is deeper than that, and on this night, it was shared by scores of school faculty, administrators, students and alums, some in their 80s, who squeezed into crammed quarters for an up-close peek of the now merging with the future.—
Joe Davidson,
Sacramento Bee,
14 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The festival will host four Anniversary screenings for audiences to celebrate the lasting legacy of these films.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
6 Mar. 2025
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Across its four-day lineup, the festival tells a story of how Jamaica’s bold, unmistakable flavors naturally lend themselves to reinvention— merging with global influences while staying true to their roots.—
Daphne Ewing-Chow,
Forbes,
6 Mar. 2025
Noun
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In fact, ancient Romans celebrated the day with a fertility festival with animal sacrifices and drunken merrymaking.—
Rebecca Morin,
USA TODAY,
13 Feb. 2025
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For the Ryman show, that bit of merrymaking fell to Crow, Larkin Poe and Tuttle as Starr sang and drummed.—
Nancy Kruh,
People.com,
17 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Molinar drew applause and cheers from the audience during two notable moments.—
Lina Ruiz,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 Feb. 2025
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Outside the building in downtown Washington, D.C., a line of demonstrators broke into applause and cheers as each employee left the building.—
Cybele Mayes-Osterman,
USA TODAY,
28 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The women in the fresco are both hunters and dancers, suggesting that the duality of slaughter and revelry was a central tenet.—
Eli Wizevich,
Smithsonian Magazine,
27 Feb. 2025
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To know Puerto Rico is to know kindness in its truest form—or to be more precise, both kindness and all-out drunken revelry in their truest forms.—
Jared Ranahan,
Forbes,
25 Feb. 2025
Noun
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After all that merriment and frosty fun, travelers looking for somewhere warm and cozy to snooze can choose between Crystal Springs Resort and Alpine Haus Bed & Breakfast Inn in neighboring Vernon.—
Lindsay Cohn,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Dec. 2024
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Many of the best beauty gifts to shop this year — from lip balm stocking stuffers to luxurious makeup brush sets — ring in well under $100 and deliver equal amounts of merriment and joy.—
Claire Sullivan,
WWD,
29 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Sign up Eating and drinking (Image credit: Riverside Luxury Cruises) The first thing to say about eating on The Ravel is that there is no Captain's Table or forced jollity with other passengers.—
James Rampton,
theweek,
6 Nov. 2024
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While the jollity may look a bit different from city to city, these global destinations keep the holiday cheer going year after year.—
Caitlin Morton,
Condé Nast Traveler,
3 Nov. 2023
Noun
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His formidable rich voice voice always carried the gaiety of a comic opera basso.—
John Mariani,
Forbes,
27 Nov. 2024
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Françoise wanders away from us, from the room, into her own thoughts, solemn yet full of gaiety.—
Carlos Valladares,
ARTnews.com,
27 June 2024
Articles Related to festivity
Cite this Entry
“Festivity.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/festivity. Accessed 9 Mar. 2025.
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