jovial

adjective

jo·​vial ˈjō-vē-əl How to pronounce jovial (audio)
-vyəl
1
: characterized by good-humored cheerfulness and conviviality : jolly
a jovial host
a jovial welcome
spent a jovial evening together
2
capitalized : of or relating to Jove
joviality noun
jovially adverb

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Jovial and Birth Dates

In Roman astrology, planets were named after gods, and people were thought to share the personality traits of the god whose planet was rising when they were born. Jupiter, also called Jove, was the chief Roman god and was considered a majestic type who was the source of joy and happiness. The Latin adjective jovialis means "of or relating to Jove." In French, this had become jovial, which English borrowed and used to describe people and things full of cheer or joy.

Choose the Right Synonym for jovial

merry, blithe, jocund, jovial, jolly mean showing high spirits or lightheartedness.

merry suggests cheerful, joyous, uninhibited enjoyment of frolic or festivity.

a merry group of revelers

blithe suggests carefree, innocent, or even heedless gaiety.

arrived late in his usual blithe way

jocund stresses elation and exhilaration of spirits.

singing, dancing, and jocund feasting

jovial suggests the stimulation of conviviality and good fellowship.

dinner put them in a jovial mood

jolly suggests high spirits expressed in laughing, bantering, and jesting.

our jolly host enlivened the party

Examples of jovial in a Sentence

In response, an infuriating wink: Alsana always likes to appear jovial at the very moment that her interlocutor becomes hot under the collar. Zadie Smith, White Teeth, 2001
I felt I was slumming, in my own life. My task was to ward off the drivel … the jovial claptrap of classmates and teachers, the maddening bromides I heard at home. Susan Sontag, New Yorker, 21 Dec. 1987
For, the people who were shovelling away on the housetops were jovial and full of glee; calling out to one another from the parapets, and now and then exchanging a facetious snowball … Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol, 1843
The audience was in a jovial mood. He's a very jovial man.
Recent Examples on the Web That’s how things have been going lately for the Hurricanes and their normally jovial coach, who are coming off an NCAA Final Four appearance in 2023 — the greatest season in program history. Walter Villa, Miami Herald, 21 Feb. 2024 From the hoity-toity BAFTAs to the jovial People’s Choice Awards, the events this past week were pretty varied. Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 24 Feb. 2024 Maintaining a jovial attitude at work is not a requirement. USA TODAY, 21 Feb. 2024 So the news former coach Jimmy Johnson is now part of a Cowboys advisory board should be taken with a grain of salt or least the jovial spirit in which it was announced by a chuckling Johnson on a Miami radio show that has since gone viral. Clarence E. Hill Jr., Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Feb. 2024 By all appearances, that includes the recent AFC Championship, where a certain couple looked like jovial lovebirds in a sports-adjacent romcom. Lisa Respers France, CNN, 9 Feb. 2024 Upon landing, the typically jovial Bucky is stunned to silence. Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 26 Jan. 2024 Their jovial mood is an improvement over the previous week. Travis M. Andrews, Washington Post, 26 Jan. 2024 As the cosmonauts sing along, filled with nostalgia and emotion, they are gently ribbed by their American counterparts, a trio of astronauts, but the mood is jovial. Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 19 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'jovial.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1592, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of jovial was in 1592

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Dictionary Entries Near jovial

Cite this Entry

“Jovial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jovial. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

jovial

adjective
jo·​vi·​al
ˈjō-vē-əl
: full of or expressing good humor
joviality
ˌjō-vē-ˈal-ət-ē
noun
jovially
ˈjō-vē-ə-lē
adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on jovial

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