Meaning & use
cheerful
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Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Happy and in a good mood, and showing it in the way you act.
Grammar: Used before a noun or after a verb: a cheerful girl, she seems cheerful.
Patterns
- cheerful about something
- cheerful in the face of something
The cheerful waiter greeted every customer by name.
She stayed cheerful throughout the long journey.
He was surprisingly cheerful about the early start.
adjectivebefore a noun
Bright and pleasant in a way that lifts the mood, as of a place, color or sound.
Grammar: Often describes things, not just people: a cheerful kitchen.
Patterns
- a cheerful color
- a cheerful room
Yellow curtains made the kitchen feel cheerful.
The band played a cheerful tune.
A cheerful fire crackled in the hearth.
adjectivebefore a noun
Willing and glad to do something, without complaint.
Grammar: Often used in cheerful acceptance or cheerful helper.
Patterns
- a cheerful helper
- cheerful acceptance
The children gave cheerful help with the cleanup.
He accepted the change with cheerful good humor.
She took the criticism with cheerful acceptance.
Word forms
| comparative | cheerfuler / more cheerful |
|---|---|
| superlative | cheerfulest / most cheerful |
Common combinations
- cheerful smile
- He greeted us with a cheerful smile.
- cheerful disposition
- Her cheerful disposition made her popular.
- remain cheerful
- It was hard to remain cheerful in the rain.
- bright and cheerful
- The classroom was bright and cheerful.
- cheerful greeting
- The mail carrier called out a cheerful greeting.
Synonyms and how they differ
- happy
- Happy describes a feeling inside, while cheerful describes a pleasant manner that others can see.
- jolly
- Jolly is more old-fashioned and suggests loud, hearty enjoyment.
- upbeat
- Upbeat stresses a positive outlook, especially when things are hard.
- merry
- Merry suggests lively fun and often appears in festive phrases like merry Christmas.
Opposites
Word family
- cheer noun
- a shout of encouragement or a mood of gladness
- cheerfully adverb
- in a happy, bright way
- cheerfulness noun
- the state of being cheerful
- cheerless adjective
- gloomy and without comfort
- cheery adjective
- informal word for bright and happy
Commonly confused: cheerful or cheery?
cheerful vs cheery
Cheery is similar in meaning but a little more casual. Cheerful is the more standard word for lasting good humor.
Practice
Despite the bad news, Tom remained ______ and joked with the team.
Choose one answer.
Remained cheerful and joked go together. Cheerless, tearful and sullen all describe a low mood that contradicts joking.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “cheerful”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.