different between festive vs cheerful

English

Etymology

From French festif, from Latin festivus (“pertaining to a feast, gay, lively, joyous”). Equivalent to feast +? -ive.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?f?st?v/
• Hyphenation: fes?tive

Adjective

festive (comparative more festive, superlative most festive)

1. Having the atmosphere, decoration, or attitude of a festival, holiday, or celebration.

2. In the mood to celebrate.

Synonyms

• feastful
• feastly

Translations

French

Adjective

festive

1. feminine singular of festif

Italian

Adjective

festive

1. feminine plural of festivo

Latin

Etymology

From f?st?vus (“joyous, festive; pleasing”), from f?stus (“feast-like; festive”).

Adverb

f?st?v? (not comparable)

1. agreeably, pleasantly, delightfully
2. humorously, facetiously, wittily

Related terms

References

• festive in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• festive in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• festive in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré Latin-Français, Hachette

English

Alternative forms

• cheerfull (archaic)
• chearful (archaic or dialectal)

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /?t????f?l/, /?t????f?l/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?t????f?l/, /?t????f?l/
• Hyphenation: cheer?ful
• Rhymes: -??rf?l

Adjective

cheerful (comparative more cheerful, superlative most cheerful)

1. Noticeably happy and optimistic.

   Synonyms: bright, bubbly, cheerly, ebullient, happy, joyful, merry, optimistic, vivacious; see also Thesaurus:happy

   Antonyms: depressed, miserable, sad

2. Bright and pleasant.

   • 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.

Translations