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Antonyms for merry


Grammar : Adj
Spell : mer-ee
Phonetic Transcription : ˈmɛr i



Definition of merry

Origin :
  • Old English myrge "pleasing, agreeable, pleasant, sweet; pleasantly, melodiously," from Proto-Germanic *murgijaz, which probably originally meant "short-lasting," (cf. Old High German murg "short," Gothic gamaurgjan "to shorten"), from PIE *mreghu- "short" (see brief (adj.)). The only exact cognate for meaning outside English was Middle Dutch mergelijc "joyful."
  • Connection to "pleasure" is likely via notion of "making time fly, that which makes the time seem to pass quickly" (cf. German Kurzweil "pastime," literally "a short time;" Old Norse skemta "to amuse, entertain, amuse oneself," from skamt, neuter of skammr "short"). There also was a verbal form in Old English, myrgan "be merry, rejoice." For vowel evolution, see bury (v.).
  • Bot vchon enle we wolde were fyf, þe mo þe myryer. [c.1300]
  • The word had much wider senses in Middle English, e.g. "pleasant-sounding" (of animal voices), "fine" (of weather), "handsome" (of dress), "pleasant-tasting" (of herbs). Merry-bout "an incident of sexual intercourse" was low slang from 1780. Merry-begot "illegitimate" (adj.), "bastard" (n.) is from 1785. Merrie England (now frequently satirical or ironic) is 14c. meri ingland, originally in a broader sense of "bountiful, prosperous." Merry Monday was a 16c. term for "the Monday before Shrove Tuesday" (Mardi Gras).
  • adj very happy; festive
Example sentences :
  • His aunt, the Duchess of Savoy, is a merry dame, and a wise!
  • Extract from : « The Armourer's Prentices » by Charlotte M. Yonge
  • Now and then, he laughed in a merry way, as if he were bantering her out of something.
  • Extract from : « To be Read at Dusk » by Charles Dickens
  • Saffy came and went, by no means so merry now that she was more with Corney.
  • Extract from : « Weighed and Wanting » by George MacDonald
  • Christmas was a merry day to all but the major, who did not like the engagement any better than before.
  • Extract from : « Weighed and Wanting » by George MacDonald
  • He raised his flagon and drank to him, with a merry flash of his white teeth.
  • Extract from : « The White Company » by Arthur Conan Doyle
  • Yet, for all my care, things were not merry in the house, and I thought it well to come away.
  • Extract from : « The White Company » by Arthur Conan Doyle
  • The gentlemen looked at each other, and Max burst out into a merry laugh.
  • Extract from : « Rico and Wiseli » by Johanna Spyri
  • My home life—if existence in a studio can be so called—was merry.
  • Extract from : « The Bacillus of Beauty » by Harriet Stark
  • Dreading a rejection, I solicited the interest of the merry damsel.
  • Extract from : « The Seven Vagabonds (From "Twice Told Tales") » by Nathaniel Hawthorne
  • No longer in the winter-time, but in the merry month of May.
  • Extract from : « The Miraculous Pitcher » by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Synonyms for merry

Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019