| English Dictionary |
MERRY (merrier, merriest)
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
| IPA (US): |  |
, merriest Dictionary entry overview: What does merry mean?
• MERRY (adjective)
The adjective MERRY has 3 senses:
1. full of or showing high-spirited merriment
2. offering fun and gaiety
3. quick and energetic
Familiarity information: MERRY used as an adjective is uncommon.
Dictionary entry details
| Declension: comparative and superlative |
Superlative: merriest
Sense 1
Meaning:
Full of or showing high-spirited merriment
Synonyms:
gay; jocund; jolly; jovial; merry; mirthful
Context example:
a mirthful laugh
Similar:
joyous (full of or characterized by joy)
Derivation:
merriness (the trait of merry joking)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Offering fun and gaiety
Synonyms:
Context example:
a merry evening
Similar:
joyous (full of or characterized by joy)
Derivation:
merriness (the trait of merry joking)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Quick and energetic
Synonyms:
alert; brisk; lively; merry; rattling; snappy; spanking; zippy
Context example:
a spanking breeze
Similar:
energetic (possessing or exerting or displaying energy)
Context examples
How merry little Em'ly made herself about it!
(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)
And the wedding feast was held, and a merry day it was, as ever was heard of or seen in that country, or indeed in any other.
(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)
Indeed, he seemed in the most cheerful spirits, whistling as he moved about among the tables, with a merry word or a slap on the shoulder for the more favoured of his guests.
(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)
Once there, she composed herself, hailed a passing omnibus, and rolled away to town, looking very merry and mysterious.
(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)
I left them all round the table, as merry as could be.
(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
And then we were so merry all the way home! we talked and laughed so loud, that anybody might have heard us ten miles off!
(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)
I had imagined you as operating from the street, where my friend, Lestrade and his merry men were awaiting you.
(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
Mr. Mason stood near the fire, talking to Colonel and Mrs. Dent, and appeared as merry as any of them.
(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)
Alleyne gave his staff a merry flourish, however, and the red deer bethought him that the King was far off, so streaked away from whence he came.
(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
I would much rather have been merry than wise.
(Emma, by Jane Austen)
| Learn English with... Proverbs |
"Someone else's pain is easy to carry" (Breton proverb)
"Be generous to a generous person and you'd win him, be generous to a mean person and he'd rebel on you." (Arabic proverb)
"A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush." (Danish proverb)