Meaning & use
revelry
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Meanings
noununcountable
Noisy, high-spirited partying, usually with plenty of food, drink, music and laughter.
Grammar: Usually has no plural: the revelry went on all night, not 'revelries' in most uses.
Patterns
- the revelry of something
- join in the revelry
The sound of revelry drifted from the village square long after midnight.
Neighbors complained about the revelry that followed the football final.
Despite the late hour, the guests showed no sign of ending their revelry.
nounusually pluralformal
Separate festive events or episodes of merrymaking, especially at a holiday or festival.
Grammar: Often appears as revelries when a series of events is meant: the New Year revelries.
Patterns
- the revelries of something
The city's carnival revelries last for five days.
After the wedding revelries ended, the family finally slept.
Tourists flock to the island for the summer revelries.
Word forms
| plural | revelries |
|---|
Common combinations
- drunken revelry
- The street was littered with bottles after a night of drunken revelry.
- scenes of revelry
- The old painting shows scenes of revelry in a tavern.
- join in the revelry
- Even the shy guests began to join in the revelry.
- sounds of revelry
- We heard the sounds of revelry through the thin walls.
- New Year revelry
- New Year revelry filled the harbor with fireworks and singing.
Synonyms and how they differ
- merrymaking
- Merrymaking is a gentler, more old-fashioned word and does not hint at noise or loss of control the way revelry does.
- festivity
- Festivity is more neutral and can describe a calm, organized celebration, whereas revelry is loud and unrestrained.
- partying
- Partying is an everyday, informal word, while revelry sounds more literary and describes a larger, wilder scene.
- carousing
- Carousing stresses heavy drinking and rowdiness, so it is narrower and more disapproving than revelry.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: revelry or revelation?
revelry vs revelation
A revelation is a surprising fact that is made known, and it is unrelated to partying despite the similar start.
Practice
After the team won the title, the whole town gave itself up to ______ that lasted until dawn.
Choose one answer.
Revelry means noisy, joyful celebration, which fits a town celebrating a win. Revelation is a surprising discovery, so it fails despite looking similar.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “revelry”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.