gregarious

adjective

gre·gar·i·ous | \ gri-ˈger-ē-əs

Definition of gregarious

1a : tending to associate with others of one's kind : social gregarious animals

b : marked by or indicating a liking for companionship : sociable is friendly, outgoing, and gregarious

c : of or relating to a social group

2a of a plant : growing in a cluster or a colony

b : living in contiguous nests but not forming a true colony —used especially of wasps and bees

Other Words from gregarious Synonyms & Antonyms Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about gregarious

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Did You Know?

When you're one of the herd, it's tough to avoid being social. The etymology of gregarious reflects the social nature of the flock; in fact, the word grew out of the Latin noun grex, meaning "herd" or "flock." When it first began appearing in English texts in the 17th century, "gregarious" was applied mainly to animals, but by the 18th century it was being used for social human beings as well. By the way, "grex" gave English a whole flock of other words too, including "egregious," "aggregate," "congregate," and "segregate."

Examples of gregarious in a Sentence

[J.P.] Morgan was attracted to bright, self-possessed women who met him on his own ground, felt at home in society, and shared his gregarious instincts and sybaritic tastes. — Jean Strouse, New Yorker, 29 Mar. 1999 … the gregarious trade unionist whose back-slapping mateyness helped make him Australia's most popular politician. — Time, 3 Apr. 1989 As it is a night of many parties, the more social, the more gregarious, the more invited of the guests are wondering whether to go to Harley Street first, or whether to arrive there later, after sampling other offerings. — Margaret Drabble, Harper's, July 1987 She is outgoing and gregarious. a gregarious child who ran up to every person on the playground and wanted to be their friend

Recent Examples on the Web

These sober emissaries seem oddly matched, at first, with two gregarious, rumpled (and rather clownishly drawn) economics professors dispatched by Rabin. — Misha Berson, The Seattle Times, "At ACT Theatre, ‘Oslo’ finds crackling drama in back-channel negotiations," 23 Oct. 2018 The three arrived in Talent a few days later to a warm welcome from Rodas’ gregarious 9- and 5-year-old daughters, Evelyn and Kailyn, and her year-old son, Liam, in Unit No. — Miriam Jordan, The Seattle Times, "Separated for 51 days, a reunited migrant family starts a new life in Oregon," 10 Sep. 2018 Image Tireless and gregarious, Hosack was a part of that productive generation of the first years of the new Republic. — Marta Mcdowell, New York Times, "Deep Below Rockefeller Center Lies a Legendary Botanical Garden," 25 June 2018 Bart was bigger than life even as a toddler: with an adorable head of curls, big brown eyes that didn't miss a trick and a gregarious personality. — Hartford Courant, courant.com, "Barton W. Blau," 7 June 2018 Above all, there is the nearly uniform quality of the boys’ gregarious charm, which would have made them ideal camera subjects even under less emotionally fraught circumstances. — Justin Chang, latimes.com, "'Three Identical Strangers' is a riveting account of identical triplets separated at birth," 28 June 2018 But while seemingly fearless, gregarious and quick with a joke, Ross wasn’t known to speak much about himself. — Gary Warth, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Water Man Dave's personal hardship inspired life of caring," 10 Apr. 2018 Reilly was known for his gregarious personality, his Mardi Gras parties, and his ever-present golden retriever. — James Sullivan, BostonGlobe.com, "In a sentimental mood at Ryles," 27 June 2018 Billy Sammeth, the gregarious personal manager who shepherded the careers of multiplatform superstars Cher and Joan Rivers while also working with the likes of Donny Osmond, Olivia Newton-John and K.C. and the Sunshine Band, died Monday. — Deborah Wilker, The Hollywood Reporter, "Billy Sammeth, Longtime Manager of Cher and Joan Rivers, Dies at 66," 18 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gregarious.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.