Meaning & use
festive time
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Meanings
nouncountable
A period when people celebrate a holiday or special occasion, especially with parties, food, and decorations.
Grammar: Countable; often used with 'the' or 'a': We had a wonderful festive time.
Patterns
- a festive time
- the festive time
- during the festive time
The whole family gathered for a festive time at Christmas.
During the festive time, the streets are filled with lights and music.
She invited all her friends to share a festive time on her birthday.
noununcountableBritish
A period of celebration or holiday activities, especially the weeks around Christmas and New Year.
Grammar: Uncountable when referring to the general period; often used with 'the': The festive time is my favorite part of the year.
Patterns
- the festive time
- over the festive time
- during the festive time
Many shops stay open late during the festive time.
The festive time in December brings people together.
We always travel to see relatives over the festive time.
Word forms
| plural | festive times |
|---|
Common combinations
- a festive time
- We had a festive time at the wedding.
- the festive time
- The festive time is a busy period for restaurants.
- during the festive time
- During the festive time, many people exchange gifts.
- enjoy a festive time
- The children enjoyed a festive time at the school party.
- the festive time of year
- It's the festive time of year, so everyone is cheerful.
Synonyms and how they differ
- festive season
- Very similar, but 'festive season' is more common in British English and often refers specifically to Christmas and New Year.
- holiday season
- Used especially in American English for the period from Thanksgiving to New Year; 'festive time' is more general and can refer to any celebration.
- celebration
- A single event or party, not a whole period; 'festive time' suggests a longer stretch of days.
Word family
Commonly confused: festive time or festival?
festive time vs festival
A festival is a specific event or series of events, while 'festive time' refers to the period or atmosphere of celebration.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence:
Choose one answer.
The phrase 'a festive time' is a countable noun phrase and needs the article 'a' when referring to a single occasion. Option 1 is missing the article, option 2 uses 'the' which suggests a specific known period, and option 3 uses the plural 'times' which is not correct for one event.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “festive time”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.