merriment

C2+ Topic:Entertainment & Leisure

US /ˈmɛrimənt/ UK /ˈmɛrimənt/ See IPA manual

noun

Meanings

1

noun
gaiety and fun; lively cheerfulness

The hall rang with the merriment of the wedding feast.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · gaiety and fun; lively... gaiety mirth jollity hilarity cheer glee festivity conviviality

Opposites

gloom sadness sorrow melancholy

Word family

Related forms merry merrilymerrymaking

Etymology

From merry (Old English myrge 'pleasant') + -ment, the noun-forming suffix borrowed from French, ultimately from Latin -mentum.

myrge Old English *murgijaz Proto-Germanic

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Entertainment & Leisure Word Formation & Derivatives

# merriment

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** ˈmɛrimənt
**IPA (UK):** ˈmɛrimənt

## Meanings
1. gaiety and fun; lively cheerfulness

## Examples
- The hall rang with the merriment of the wedding feast.

## Synonyms
- gaiety
- mirth
- jollity
- hilarity
- cheer
- glee
- festivity
- conviviality

## Antonyms
- gloom
- sadness
- sorrow
- melancholy

## Related Forms
- merry
- merrily
- merrymaking

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: myrge
- Root: *murgijaz

## Etymology
From merry (Old English myrge 'pleasant') + -ment, the noun-forming suffix borrowed from French, ultimately from Latin -mentum.

## AI Etymology
Merriment comes from merry (Old English myrge 'pleasant') + -ment, the noun-forming suffix borrowed from French, ultimately from Latin -mentum. The suffix is part of the word's derivational shape, marking the final grammatical or semantic role while the base supplies the central meaning. As a noun, it carries the sense "gaiety and fun; lively cheerfulness", with the older formation still helping explain the modern use. Relevant historical forms include Old English myrge and Proto-Germanic *murgijaz. Related words include merry, merrily, merrymaking.

## Topics
- Entertainment & Leisure
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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merriment

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