English

edit

Alternative forms

edit

Etymology

edit

From Middle English chereful, cherful, equivalent to cheer +‎ -ful.

Pronunciation

edit

Adjective

edit

cheerful (comparative more cheerful, superlative most cheerful)

  1. Noticeably happy and optimistic.
    Synonyms: cheery, bright, bubbly, cheerly, ebullient, happy, joyful, merry, optimistic, vivacious; see also Thesaurus:happy
    Antonyms: depressed, miserable, sad
  2. Bright and pleasant.
    They enjoyed a cheerful room.
    • 1892, Walter Besant, chapter III, in The Ivory Gate [], New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, [], →OCLC:
      At half-past nine on this Saturday evening, the parlour of the Salutation Inn, High Holborn, contained most of its customary visitors. [] In former days every tavern of repute kept such a room for its own select circle, a club, or society, of habitués, who met every evening, for a pipe and a cheerful glass.

Derived terms

edit

Translations

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ Jespersen, Otto (1909) A Modern English Grammar on Historical Principles (Sammlung germanischer Elementar- und Handbücher; 9)‎[1], volumes I: Sounds and Spellings, London: George Allen & Unwin, published 1961, § 4.36, page 124.