blithesome

Everyday

1. (old-fashioned, literary) Cheerful, merry and light-hearted. tree →
2. (literary) Carefree, not worried about anything. tree →

In the lessons

A rare old word met in poems and old children's books, not in modern talk. It paints a happy, bouncy character or mood. It comes from «blithe» (= cheerful) + «-some» (= full of), as in «handsome» or «lonesome».

Examples

• The blithesome lark sang over the fields. tree →
• Toad set off in a blithesome mood, sure everything would go well. tree →
• The poem tells of a blithesome girl dancing on the green. tree →
• It was a blithesome spring morning. tree →
• In old books a blithesome heart means a happy one. tree →
• Grandma laughed at the old word and said, «Just say cheerful!» tree →

Note

Old-fashioned: in your own writing «cheerful», «merry» or «blithe» is more natural. Modern «blithe» can also mean «careless about something serious» («blithe disregard»), which is less positive than «blithesome».