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festivity

festivity

69 3.5
A happy public celebration with music and decorations
  • noun
  • /fɛˈstɪvɪti/
translation icon : celebración
  • It's been a magical week of wedding festivities with amazing people, but now it's time to explore more of this beautiful country.
  • wedding festivities
  • religious festivities
  • national festivities

All right, let us begin the holiday festivities.

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Examples

  • The town is known for its lively festivities during the annual summer fair.

  • I'm preparing for the festivities.

  • Saturday evening is the traditional time for festivity and celebration, although women and men celebrate separately.

    Academic text (1994)
  • Last week was the period of great festivities in India.

  • - Let the festivities begin.

  • Okay, let the festivities begin.

  • I just like getting caught up in the festivities.

  • It's time to begin the festivities.

  • Fourth of July is around the corner, but not everyone looks forward to the festivities.

  • At the same time, these festivities offer entertainment and a pleasant change in their monotonous life.

    Academic text (1996)

Synonyms

celebration
vsfestivity
430 1.0

A happy event such as a party that marks a special occasion or achievement

emphasizes lively and cheerful activities more than marking occasions
festival
vsfestivity
268 1.0

A time when people gather to celebrate with food and fun

is any enjoyable event, not necessarily an organized period or tradition
fest
vsfestivity
  • Informal
108 3.1

A public party with music, food, and events

covers similar enjoyment but is not limited to festival format
feast
vsfestivity
26 1.7

Something that gives great pleasure to the senses, like a show or meal

focuses more on lively social activities than sensory indulgence
jamboree
vsfestivity
14 5.7

A large lively party with music and games

can apply to events of any size, not only large gatherings
revelry
vsfestivity
9 6.1

Lively noisy party with drinking and dancing

is similar but not necessarily noisy or linked to drinking
revel
vsfestivity
5 6.3

A loud happy party with dancing and drinking

is broader and may be cheerful without noisy indulgence
merrymaking
vsfestivity
3 4.4

Happy activities at a party, like singing and dancing

names the event itself rather than the people taking part
jollification
vsfestivity
  • Archaic
8.8

A lively celebration with people having fun

is a broader enjoyable event, not only intense merry activity
festa
vsfestivity
7.6

A public celebration with music, dancing, and special food

is used more generally for any lively enjoyable event

Antonyms

820 1.9

A ceremony to bury or cremate a person who has died

8 3.9

A period after someone dies when people show deep sadness

How Lively

carnival
114 2.7
party
1.0
festivity
69 3.5
gathering
203 1.0
meeting
1.0

Surface Forms

festivity singular
festivities plural

Morphology

festivity = festive (transparent) = fest + ive + ity

The noun is formed regularly from the adjective 'festive' with the suffix '-ity', preserving the core meaning of celebration.

Etymology

The word festivity comes from the old root fest-, which meant 'feast' or 'festival', and you can see the same idea in festival and feast. So, festivity is about a joyful celebration full of music, food, and cheerful activity.