genial

1 of 2

adjective (1)

ge·​nial ˈjēn-yəl 

ˈjē-nē-əl

1

a

: marked by or freely expressing sympathy or friendliness

your genial host

b

: favorable to growth or comfort : mild

genial sunshine

2

: displaying or marked by genius

genial insights

3

obsolete : of or relating to marriage or generation

… the genial bed …

—John Milton

4

obsolete : inborn, native

geniality

ˌjē-nē-ˈa-lə-tē 

jēn-ˈyal-

noun

genially

ˈjēn-yə-lē 

adverb

genial

2 of 2

adjective (2)

ge·​ni·​al ji-ˈnī(-ə)l 

: of or relating to the chin

Did you know?

Warm, cheerful, and pleasant? That’s genial in a bottle, baby. Or at least (if such a declaration rubs you the wrong way) that’s the most common sense of genial. You may also be familiar with its closely related meaning of “favorable to growth or comfort” as in “what a girl wants most on vacation is to recline in the genial sunshine.” Or perhaps you’ve heard genial used to describe someone or something displaying or marked by genius, as in “who among us doesn’t appreciate genial insights embedded in a beautiful pop song”? After all, both genial and genius share an ancestor in the Latin word genius, meaning “a person’s disposition or inclination.” There are also older, now-obsolete senses of genial. When it first entered English from the Latin adjective genialis (“connected with marriage”) it shared that word’s matrimonial meaning. And at one time genial was also a synonym of native or inborn, describing things (such as musical talent) present or seemingly present in someone from birth.

Synonyms

Adjective (1)

• affable
• agreeable
• amiable
• good-natured
• good-tempered
• gracious
• mellow
• nice
• pleasant
• sweet
• well-disposed

Choose the Right Synonym for genial

gracious, cordial, affable, genial, sociable mean markedly pleasant and easy in social intercourse.

gracious implies courtesy and kindly consideration.

the gracious award winner thanked her colleagues

cordial stresses warmth and heartiness.

our host was cordial as he greeted us

affable implies easy approachability and readiness to respond pleasantly to conversation or requests or proposals.

though wealthy, she was affable to all

genial stresses cheerfulness and even joviality.

a genial companion with a ready quip

sociable suggests a genuine liking for the companionship of others.

sociable people who enjoy entertaining

Examples of genial in a Sentence

Adjective (1)

a genial host who makes a point of speaking personally to each and every guest

genial new neighbors who helped us unpack boxes and brought us dinner our first night in the new place

his genial offer to give me his seat on the bus

wanted to move to a more genial clime for health reasons

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

George Wendt, the actor known for playing the genial, beer-guzzling barfly Norm Peterson on all 11 seasons of the classic sitcom Cheers, died Tuesday at 76. —Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 20 May 2025

In the aftermath of Radford’s breakthrough, OpenAI’s leadership—especially the genial Altman and his co-founder and chief scientist, the faintly shamanistic Ilya Sutskever—made a series of pivotal decisions. —Benjamin Wallace-Wells, New Yorker, 19 May 2025

The moment came after Obama, Biden and late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel had a friendly conversation onstage where the president fielded genial questions from his predecessor and the comedian that highlighted his political and legislative achievements. —Anna Commander sonam Sheth, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 May 2025

This bit of cautiously positive news came just after this board met with the genial Midwest consul general of China, Wang Baodong, and some of his staff and had a wide-ranging discussion, including on the tense state of affairs between the two countries, one these diplomats bemoan. —The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 11 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adjective (1)

Latin genialis, from genius

Adjective (2)

Greek geneion chin, from genys jaw — more at chin

First Known Use

Adjective (1)

circa 1547, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Adjective (2)

1828, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for genial

• congenial
• uncongenial

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Kids Definition

genial

adjective

ge·​nial

ˈjēn-yəl

1

: favoring growth or comfort

a genial climate

2

: being cheerful and pleasant

geniality

ˌjē-nē-ˈal-ət-ē

jēn-ˈyal-

noun

genially

ˈjē-nyə-lē

adverb

Medical Definition

genial

adjective

ge·​ni·​al ji-ˈnī(-ə)l 

: of or relating to the chin