cheerful en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- /ˈt͡ʃɪəfl̩/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˈt͡ʃɪɹfl̩/ (General-American)
- /ˈt͡ʃɜː(ɹ)fʊl/ (obsolete)
- /ˈt͡ʃɜː(ɹ)fəl/ (obsolete)
- (US) audio
Etymology
From Middle English chereful, cherful, equivalent to cheer + -ful.
Meanings
-
Noticeably happy and optimistic.
The Eskimo is a nobler, cheerfuller and easy-goinger person than we smug civilized citizens have always imagined. Rockwell Kent, the noted Eskimophile, claims they are a polite and happy race.
1935 July 2, W. E. Farbstein, “Marginal Notes”, in Washington Herald, volume XIII, number 219, Washington, D.C.: American Newspapers, Inc., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 15, column 7:He moped, she felt, as the time went by, and he was cheerfuler only when some letter, full of hope without expectation, came from Dick.
1913, W[illiam] D[ean] Howells, chapter XXIII, in New Leaf Mills: A Chronicle, New York, N.Y.; London: Harper & Brothers Publishers, →OCLC, page 150:Ever in cheerfullest mood art thou, when others are filled with Gloomy forebodings of illl, and see only ruin before them.
1847 November 1, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, chapter II, in Evangeline, a Tale of Acadie, Boston, Mass.: William D. Ticknor & Company, →OCLC, part I, page 32:
-
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.
1892, Walter Besant, chapter III, in The Ivory Gate […], New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], →OCLC:They enjoyed a cheerful room.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| cheerfullest | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| cheerfull | alternative, archaic | lexicographic | |
| cheerfulest | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| cheerfuler | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| most cheerful | Degree=Sup | lexicographic | |
| cheerfuller | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| more cheerful | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| chearful | alternative, archaic, dialectal | lexicographic |
Antonyms
gloomy · miserable · sad · depressed
Deriveds
cheap and cheerful · uncheerful · cheerfully · cheerfulize · cheerfulness · cheerfulsome · overcheerful
Synonyms
perky · gleeful · merry · wealful · placated · buoyant · merry as a grig · happy as a pig in mud · cheerful · fat and happy · gayful · ecstatic · happy as Larry · gleesome · gassed · pacific · joyful · ebullient · vivacious · optimistic · giddy · exuberant · bonnie · blithe · happy · happy as a lark · merry as a cricket · joyous · merry · enthusiastic · happy as a clam · happy as a clam at high water · bright · hyped · exultant · content · chuffed · chirpy · over the moon · gladsome · thrilled · blithesome · happy · satisfied · mirthsome · cheery · excited · elated · gay · stoked · jovial · euphoric · tickled pink · bubbly · glad · happy as a pig in shit · on cloud nine · bright · pleased · cheerly · blissed out · delighted · cheerly · high on life · overjoyous · hearty · triumphant · contented · vivacious · joyful · berserk · cheery · exhilarated · happy as a prince · overjoyed · convivial · happy as the day is long · ebullient · cock-a-hoop
Translations (94)
sa रंसु (happy) · ga spéiriúil (happy) · bg весел (happy) · pt alegre (happy) · sv uppsluppen (happy) · tl masaya (bright) · bg ободрителен (bright) · fi iloinen (bright) · fr content (happy) · cmn 快樂 /快乐 (happy) · ar فَرِح (happy) · sdc allègru (happy) · ga muirneach (happy) · arz سعيد (happy) · de fröhlich (happy) · gl animado (happy) · hi आनंदित (happy) · sc allègru (happy) · it allegro (happy) · fr de bonne humeur (happy) · es animado (happy) · la laetus (happy) · cmn 愉快 (happy) · ota سرخوش (happy) · de vergnügt (happy) · nrf rêjoui (happy) · gl alegre (happy) · fi hilpeä (happy) · sv munter (happy) · it felice (happy) · da venlig (bright) · ga grianmhar (happy) · cs šťastný (happy) · pt animado (bright) · pdt froo (happy) · az şən (happy) · vi vui vẻ (happy) · fi iloinen (happy) · it gioioso (happy) · la gaudens (happy) · ja 陽気な (happy) · fi hilpeä (bright) · ar مَسْرُور (happy) · crh şeñ (happy) · grc ἱλαρός (happy) · ja 楽しげな (happy) · uk весе́лий (happy) · mi takaahuareka (happy) · bg бодър (happy) · enm blisful (happy) · fr joyeux (happy) · ka მხიარული (happy) · sw -kunjufu (happy) · hi प्रफुल्लित (happy) · pdt freelich (happy) · mi hurō (happy) · pdt schaftich (happy) · mi manahau (happy) · mi harikoa (happy) · la hilaris (happy) · bg приятен (bright) · da fornøjet (happy) · lv jautrs (happy) · sdc cuntèntu (happy) · hy ցնծալից (happy) · sc cuntèntu (happy) · ka ხალისიანი (happy) · sv levnadsglad (happy) · ja 嬉しい (happy) · eo gaja (happy) · da lys (bright) · es risueño (happy) · sc uffànu (happy) · ko 기쁘다 (happy) · es alegre (happy) · ka ნათელი (bright) · nl tevreden (happy) · sc allirgu (happy) · mi hihiko (happy) · arz مبصوط (happy) · da munter (happy) · ga misniúil (happy) · th ร่าเริง (happy) · cs radostný (happy) · nl blijmoedig (happy) · ru весёлый (happy) · mk весел (happy) · bcl magaya-gaya (happy) · de freundlich (bright) · it luminoso (bright) · hi हर्षित (happy) · tl masayahin (happy) · it allegro (bright) · sc cuntèntu (happy)