festival

1 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

festival

2 of 2

noun

1
a
: a time of celebration marked by special observances
2
: an often periodic celebration or program of events or entertainment having a specified focus
a daffodil festival
a Greek festival
3

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
Such easy overlap between juror and filmmaker speaks to a wider festival goal toward building a real sense of community within the genre world. Ben Croll, Variety, 14 July 2025 Previously, our editor, Dominique Fluker, selected ten fashionable outfits from H&M’s summer assortment to inspire our festival goers as a packing guide for the ESSENCE Festival of Culture. Dominique Fluker, Essence, 14 July 2025
Noun
The film screened at over 90 festivals, received 17 awards, and is currently featured on The New Yorker Screening Room and the Criterion Channel. Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 15 July 2025 The duo took the festival’s stage just before Kneecap, another band that has been outspoken in its support of Palestinians amid Israel’s war on Hamas. Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 15 July 2025 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Festival.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/festival. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!