Definition of festivenext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of festive Filling porch and patio planters with fall-blooming annuals and festive foliage plants is an easy way to add color to your space and curb appeal to your home. — Lauren Landers, The Spruce, 28 Sep. 2026 Other events to attend include CULTURA Fiesta Latina held every September to celebrate Latin culture through food, music, dance, and programming and the Christkindl Markt, which brings a festive European-style market to to town. — Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 27 Sep. 2026 But at a festive National Day meal in Riyadh, where families dined while patriotic songs filled the room, there was a growing sense that the public mood may be darkening. — Matthew Chance, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2026 Give trick-or-treaters a festive welcome by staking them along your driveway or walkway. — Toni Sutton, PEOPLE, 24 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for festive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for festive
Adjective
  • The friendly staff, who wear black uniforms with lettering that identifies their duties add to the hotel’s merry atmosphere.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Sep. 2026
  • This is a place where adults make the pilgrimage to the legendary Pinto Ron and Pizza Pete tailgate spot in the Hammer Lot where Pinto Ron's team of merry pranksters pour shots of liquor into a bowling ball finger hole.
    — Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 18 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • The track opens with a sprinkle of piano before morphing into a jolly celebration that’s really going to hit this holiday season.
    — Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Both his suggestion and the jolly appreciation seem out of tune with the situation ‘far from home’, which may be a military manoeuvre involving mock battles and bayonet practice, or a preparation for actual combat.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • But the film hardly even merits such empty pastiche, and there’s little else to distinguish it from much cheap-and-cheerful streaming fodder in this genre space.
    — Guy Lodge, Variety, 30 Sep. 2026
  • In Phoenix, there was an energetic and cheerful young man by the name of Craig Wismer.
    — Lauren Weiner, Baltimore Sun, 28 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Festive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/festive. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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