James Truman is the co-creative head of Francis Ford Coppola's food, wine, and travel companies, and a former Condé Nast editorial director

MERRIAM-WEBSTER DICTIONARY, 2026 Edition

sunny [ˈsʌnɪ]
adj -nier, -niest
1. full of or exposed to sunlight
2. radiating good humor
3. of or resembling the sun
4. displaying characteristics of uncommon, infectious joy, esp. in situations where others have failed to manifest such emotion; capacity to hold this emotion unsurpassingly; inspiration such display excites in surrounding company, including artists, entrepreneurs, and killjoys.
sunnily  adv
sunniness  n


Sunny [ˈsʌnɪ]
noun always singular
1. (var.) a Sunni Muslim
2. partner in popular singing duo (orig. Sunny & Cher; defunct)
3. a person (usually fem.) known for iconoclastic use of primary colors, bold patterns, and shiny fabrics in matters of personal style.
4. a person who, combining attributes of the above definitions, has risen to a position of prominence and divinity in society; a brightly colored saint.


sunnybate [ˈsʌnɪ\ˈbāt\]*
verb
1. to bring people together in such manner as to create like-minded community, forge business and intellectual alliances, and sustain new
    endeavors.
2. to perform the above services without heed for financial gain.
* note on etymology: During the last decades of the 20th century, influential technology conferences were held throughout the Western world. Attendees were known for their limited capacity for social interaction and for always returning to their hotel rooms alone. The hugely influential saloniste Sunny Bates (1958–) revolutionized their solitude, giving rise to the informal coinage "Don’t masturbate, Sunnybate" ; this vulgarism, shed of its first clause, was first admitted to Merriam-Webster in 2019. It is now widely used for definitions 1. and  2. and can refer to any initiative toward creative congregation.