Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A joyous feast, holiday, or celebration; a festival.
  • noun The joy and merriment of a festival or celebration.
  • noun The proceedings or events of a festival.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Feasting, or the condition of joy and gaiety becoming a feast; joyfulness; gaiety; social entertainment with merry-making.
  • noun A festival; a festive event or celebration.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The condition of being festive; social joy or exhilaration of spirits at an entertaintment; joyfulness; gayety.
  • noun A festival; a festive celebration.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun often pluralized A festival or similar celebration.
  • noun An experience or expression of celebratory feeling, merriment, gaiety.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun any joyous diversion

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

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Examples

  • One cannot help feeling that much of all this festivity is a mistake: the expenses incurred are far above the means of the parties responsible, and the effect on the Amboinese character is not beneficial.

    Insulinde: Experiences of a Naturalist's Wife in the Eastern Archipelago 1887

  • "The Day of the Holy Cross is our main festivity," Claudio tells us as he makes one of his menu items, Insalate Anne - lettuce, avocado, grapefruit, crabmeat and green apples in a vinaigrette.

    The magic of Bernal, Queretaro: wine, opals and historic charm 2009

  • "The Day of the Holy Cross is our main festivity," Claudio tells us as he makes one of his menu items, Insalate Anne - lettuce, avocado, grapefruit, crabmeat and green apples in a vinaigrette.

    The magic of Bernal, Queretaro: wine, opals and historic charm 2009

  • The second annual blogging festivity is going to be a little different than last years party.

    Archive 2007-06-01 2007

  • No club festivity is permitted without the presence of a director; no young man under the influence of liquor is allowed; certain types of dancing often innocently started are strictly prohibited; and above all, early closing is insisted upon.

    Twenty Years at Hull-House, With Autobiographical Notes 1910

  • And the mixture of pain and illness with splendor and festivity, is so unnatural, that probably it is to that we must attribute that a young woman is no where so hardly judged.

    Camilla: or, A Picture of Youth 1796

  • But indeed it could hardly be called a festivity, — it was so quiet and sombre.

    Castle Richmond 2004

  • Those who have chosen to turn their backs on our festivity are the small minority who continue to cling to the anti-human concept and practices of racial arrogance, white minority domination and the super-exploitation of the masses of our people.

    MESSAGE TO THE SOWETO RALLY TO WELCOME RELEASED LEADERS, OCTOBER 29, 1989(1) 1989

  • Marjorie could not recall a festivity for which she had worked hard beforehand and enjoyed more than the preparation for the freshman hop.

    Marjorie Dean, College Sophomore Pauline Lester

  • The central feature of the festivity was a huge kettle, many feet in circumference, into which the Indians dropped the most extraordinary variety of food we had ever seen combined.

    The Story of a Pioneer Shaw, Anna Howard, 1847-1919 1929

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