Meanings
- idiomaticA person who participates in entertainment events in a very enthusiastic manner and who has a leading role in inspiring others to join in the spirit of festivity.
Tom was the life of the party, and the way he "cut up" was "simply awful," as Nellie declared.
1915, Edward Stratemeyer, chapter 30, in The Rover Boys in Business2 more examples
‘You were the life of the party last night, Ma'am, you know,’ returned Flowers, ‘and you suffer for it, to-day, you see.’
1846 October 1 – 1848 April 1, Charles Dickens, chapter 37, in Dombey and Son, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1848, →OCLCThey were the life of the party and everyone loves them, even though it was not a party that the nation can afford to throw again.
1950 January 2, “Headliners of the 1920s”, in Life, page 46Synonyms: life and soul of the party, party animal
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA person who participates in entertainment events in a very enthusiastic manner and who has a leading role in inspiring others to join in the spirit of festivity.
Translations
German Stimmungskanone
- StimmungskanoneTranslations
Italian essere l'anima della festa
- essere l'anima della festaTranslations
Polish dusza towarzystwa
- dusza towarzystwaTranslations
Russian душа компании
- душа компании (duša kompanii)Translations
Cite this entry
life of the party. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/life%20of%20the%20party
“life of the party.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/life%20of%20the%20party. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “life of the party,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/life%20of%20the%20party.
Source: life of the party on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.