jollied; jollying
: to engage in good-natured banter
jollied and joked with sailors in the street—
Dixon Wecter
Dixon Wecter
: to put or try to put in good humor especially to gain an end
try to pay for their entertainment by jollying us along—S. E. White
S. E. WhiteExamples of jolly in a Sentence
Adjective
Our boss was a very jolly man, always laughing.
She had a jolly time at the party.
Adverb
“I've finished my assignment.” “Jolly good!”
She learned to be jolly careful in his presence.
Noun
a provocateur who gets his jollies from stirring up political controversy
Verb
spent their nights around the campfire good-naturedly jollying and telling scary stories
Recent Examples on the Web
Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 27 Dec. 2024
Instead of its usual jolly cartoons, the channel began broadcasting footage of Russian military parades accompanied by music of the Russian nationalist singer Oleg Gazmanov.
—Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 7 Apr. 2025
Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 16 May 2025
And today, my goodness, there’s a jolly little trio
Of young men in hospital scrubs, standing around smoking away,
On their break from Mount Sinai West.
—Jenny Allen, New Yorker, 19 June 2025
Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 6 Apr. 2024
Sunday was a tough day for those, like me, who get their entertainment jollies by watching losers try to redeem themselves.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2024
The Economist, 21 Sep. 2019
So Watt sets out to convince them that the real killer is Peter Manuel by — wait for it! — taking him out on a bender and jollying him into a confession.
—Marilyn Stasio, New York Times, 19 May 2017
See All Example Sentences for jolly
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Adjective
Crosby released a number of tunes throughout his career that were made perfectly for the jolliest time of the year, and his wins are still coming his way, even decades after his passing.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 27 Dec. 2024
Instead of its usual jolly cartoons, the channel began broadcasting footage of Russian military parades accompanied by music of the Russian nationalist singer Oleg Gazmanov.
—Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 7 Apr. 2025
Adverb
As jolly a cultural clash as that would have been, that wasn’t what was happening.
—Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 16 May 2025
And today, my goodness, there’s a jolly little trio
Of young men in hospital scrubs, standing around smoking away,
On their break from Mount Sinai West.
—Jenny Allen, New Yorker, 19 June 2025
Noun
The 4Chan programmers got their viral sensation and their jollies.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 6 Apr. 2024
Sunday was a tough day for those, like me, who get their entertainment jollies by watching losers try to redeem themselves.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2024
Verb
As to the political will needed to jolly the process along, and arrange payment for those parts of the programme that will not pay for themselves, this can push both ways.
—The Economist, 21 Sep. 2019
So Watt sets out to convince them that the real killer is Peter Manuel by — wait for it! — taking him out on a bender and jollying him into a confession.
—Marilyn Stasio, New York Times, 19 May 2017
See All Example Sentences for jolly
Cite this Entry
“Jolly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jolly. Accessed 7 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
jolly
2 of 2 adverb
: very entry 2 sense 1
a jolly good time
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share