cheerful

[cheer-fuhl]

adjective

1. full of cheer; in good spirits.

   a cheerful person.

   Synonyms: jolly, sunny, buoyant, joyous, joyful, happy, blithe, gay, cheery
   Antonyms: miserable

2. promoting or inducing cheer; pleasant; bright.

   cheerful surroundings.

3. characterized by or expressive of good spirits or cheerfulness.

   cheerful songs.

4. hearty or ungrudging.

   cheerful giving.

   Synonyms: generous
   Antonyms: grudging

cheerful

/ ˈtʃɪəfʊl /

adjective

1. having a happy disposition; in good spirits

2. pleasantly bright; gladdening

   a cheerful room

3. hearty; ungrudging; enthusiastic

   cheerful help

Other Word Forms

• cheerfully adverb
• cheerfulness noun
• quasi-cheerful adjective
• quasi-cheerfully adverb
• uncheerful adjective
• uncheerfully adverb
• uncheerfulness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of cheerful¹

First recorded in 1400–50, cheerful is from the late Middle English word cherfull. See cheer, -ful

Example Sentences

By contrast, non-vintage still wine - that made by blending two or more years - is seen as very downmarket, something cheap and not cheerful.

From BBC

Reading aloud, Mr Hopkins says: "He's cheerful and industrious, with a mischievous sense of humour and fondness for practical jokes."

From BBC

I walked briskly into the office, but the cheerful dentist I worked for took one look at my face with my eyes puffy from crying and asked, “What happened to you?”

From Los Angeles Times

Said the guy known for his indefatigably cheerful music: “F— ICE.”

From Los Angeles Times

Nothing seems to get in the way of second-year resident Mel King’s outwardly cheerful demeanor.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• animated 
• bright 
• buoyant 
• cheery 
• chipper 
• chirpy 
• effervescent 
• enthusiastic 
• good-natured 
• happy 
• jaunty 
• jolly 
• joyful 
• lighthearted 
• lively 
• merry 
• optimistic 
• peppy 
• perky 
• pleasant