The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word SUNNY
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
S
U
N
N
Y
More clues leading to the result SUNNY
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Cheerful/Cheerful" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case cheerful/cheerful = sunny.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does SUNNY mean?
SUNNY noun- A sunfish.
- (of weather or a day) Featuring a lot of sunshine.
- (of a place) Receiving a lot of sunshine.
- (of a person or a person's mood) cheerful
- Of or relating to the sun; proceeding from, or resembling the sun; shiny; radiant.
- Sunny side up