Being happy, optimistic, and full of good spirits; showing a positive and bright mood.
From Middle English 'cheer' (face, expression, mood) + '-ful' suffix meaning full of. 'Cheer' comes from Old French 'chiere' (face, expression), ultimately from Latin 'cara' (face). The '-ful' suffix comes from Old English and means 'full of' or 'characterized by.'
The word 'cheerful' literally means 'full of cheer,' but here's the wild part: 'cheer' originally meant 'face' or 'expression' in medieval times—so when you were cheerful, you were literally showing your happy face! It shows how much our emotions are written on our faces.
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