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

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
The girl group had to bow out of Olivia Rodrigo’s Daisy Chain Fields festival August 27 after Megan Skiendiel sprained her ankle. — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 30 Aug. 2026 The one-day festival, which raised $10 million for nonprofits supporting women and girls, arrives just weeks before Rodrigo launches her Unraveled Tour. — Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 30 Aug. 2026
Adjective
Whether due to hotter summers, festival non-compete clauses, routing coincidences or other factors, the stretch from September through November has come to compete with the summer months for standalone concerts. — Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026 Near the end of the festival McLachlan, the co-founder of the all-female Lilith Fair that inspired the festival, joined Rodrigo on stage. — Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 31 Aug. 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 1 Sep. 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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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