Cheerfulness

/ˈtʃɪrfəlnəs/ noun

Definition

Cheerfulness is a happy, bright, and positive mood that shows in someone’s face, voice, or behavior. Cheerful people tend to smile easily and lift others’ spirits.

Etymology

“Cheer” originally meant “face” or “expression” in Middle English, from Old French “chere.” Over time, it shifted from the look on someone’s face to the happy mood behind it, giving us “cheerfulness.”

Kelly Says

Cheer used to mean just “face,” so cheerfulness was literally about what your face was doing. The idea flipped: instead of the face showing the mood, the mood took over the word. When you say someone is cheerful, you’re really commenting on the story their face is telling.

Translations

CACatalà
alegria
ah-leh-GREE-ah
CSČeština
veselost
VEH-seh-loh-st
DADansk
glæde
GLAY-deh
DEDeutsch
Heiterkeit
HAY-tah-kayt
ELΕλληνικά
ευθυμία
ef-thi-MEE-ah
ESEspañol
alegría
ah-leh-GREE-ah
FISuomi
ilo
EE-loh
FRFrançais
gaieté
gah-yeh-TAY
HAHA
farin ciki
fah-rin CHEE-kee
HUMagyar
vidámság
VEE-dahm-shahg
IDBahasa Indonesia
kegembiraan
keh-geh-mee-RAH-an
IGIG
ọṅụ
oh-noo
ITItaliano
allegria
ah-LEH-gree-ah
KKKK
көңілділік
kongildiilik
MSBahasa Melayu
kegembiraan
keh-geh-mee-RAH-an
NLNederlands
opgewektheid
oh-pheh-geh-khed
NONorsk
gladhet
GLAH-deht
PLPolski
wesołość
vay-SOH-woh-stch
PTPortuguês
alegria
ah-leh-GREE-ah
RORomână
veselie
veh-SEH-lee-eh
SVSvenska
glädje
GLAY-deh
SWKiswahili
furaha
foo-RAH-hah
TLTL
kagalakan
kah-gah-LAH-kahn
TRTürkçe
neşe
neh-SHEH
VITiếng Việt
vui vẻ
voo-ee veh
YOYO
ìrọrùn
ee-roh-roon
ZUZU
ukukhanya
oo-koo-KHAH-nyah

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.