festival

1 of 2

noun

Synonyms of festival
1
a
: a time of celebration marked by special observances
b
: feast sense 2
2
: an often periodic celebration or program of events or entertainment having a specified focus
a daffodil festival
a Greek festival
3
: gaiety, conviviality

festival

2 of 2

adjective

fes·​ti·​val ˈfe-stə-vəl How to pronounce festival (audio)
: of, relating to, appropriate to, or set apart as a festival

Synonyms of festival

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Noun

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Examples of festival in a Sentence

Noun Each year, a festival was held to celebrate the harvest. The town has a summer festival in the park.
Recent Examples on the Web
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Noun
Related Stories Joel and Ethan Coen will accept this year’s Lumière Award later in the festival. — Lise Pedersen, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026 That’s why a nascent festival this week also deserves your love. — John Wenzel, Denver Post, 11 Oct. 2026
Adjective
In addition, surprise guests — look out for a festival favorite that won a significant award at Cannes — are likely to be in the mix. — Damon Wise, Deadline, 10 Oct. 2026 The problem is when the self-importance of festival political activism crosses wires with these horror nerds. — Joseph Kahn, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for festival

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin festivus festive

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of festival was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing festival

Browse Nearby Words

festino
festival
festivalgoer
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Festival.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/festival. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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Kids Definition

festival

noun
fes·​ti·​val
ˈfes-tə-vəl
1
: a time of celebration in honor of a special occasion
2
: an often regularly occurring program of events or entertainment
festival adjective
Etymology

Noun

from earlier festival (adjective), derived from early French festival "festive," from Latin festivus "festive," from festum (noun) "festival, feast" — related to feast, fiesta

More from Merriam-Webster on festival

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about festival

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