merry
merry Lexical Profile
merry Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Cheerful, lively, and full of high spirits or festive enjoyment.
"A merry crowd of carolers gathered in the town square to sing traditional holiday songs."
British Slightly and good-humoredly intoxicated from drinking alcohol.
"After a couple of glasses of champagne at the wedding reception, the guests grew noticeably merry."
Brisk, lively, or unhesitating in pace or movement.
"The lead runners set a merry pace right from the start of the marathon."
Word Nuance & Usage
Easily confused with its homophone 'marry' (to wed) in dialects with the Mary-marry-merry merger. In contemporary usage, 'merry' is frequently restricted to seasonal greetings (such as 'Merry Christmas') or fixed idiomatic expressions, whereas 'happy' or 'cheerful' are preferred in everyday contexts.
• Rhymes for merry
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English 'myrge', meaning pleasing, agreeable, or sweet-sounding, derived from Proto-Germanic '*murgijaz', which originally meant 'short-lasting' (referring to something that makes time pass quickly and pleasantly).