festival

1 of 2

adjective

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

festival

2 of 2

noun

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

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.
Adjective
But over the past decade or so, Øya has consistently delivered huge headliners and some of the best, most varied lineup curation on the festival scene, booking everyone from Blur to Kendrick Lamar to Charli xcx. — Ellise Shafer, Variety, 10 Aug. 2026 The longtime festival favorite pits chefs against one another for both Judges' Choice and People's Choice honors. — Amber Love Bond, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Noun
Two people were killed and several others injured when two shooters opened fire at Canada’s largest street festival in Toronto in July. — Mark Morales, CNN Money, 9 Aug. 2026 The festival was first announced in February at a press conference attended by Mayor Karen Bass, with organizers — including founder and former city council member Martin Ludlow — anticipating 250,000 attendees for the citywide, weeks-long event. — Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 9 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for festival

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

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

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

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

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 16 Aug. 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

Nglish: Translation of festival for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about festival

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