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1

jolly

play
adjective jol·ly \ˈjä-lē\

Definition of jolly

jollier

;

jolliest

  1. 1a (1) :  full of high spirits :  joyous think no more, lad; laugh, be jolly — A. E. Housman (2) :  given to conviviality :  jovial a jolly companionb :  expressing, suggesting, or inspiring lively happiness and good cheer :  cheerful jolly laughter

  2. 2 :  extremely pleasant or agreeable :  splendid had a jolly time

See jolly defined for English-language learners

See jolly defined for kids

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Examples of jolly in a Sentence

  1. Our boss was a very jolly man, always laughing.

  2. She had a jolly time at the party.

Origin and Etymology of jolly

Middle English joli, from Anglo-French jolif, from jol-, probably from Old Norse jōl midwinter festival — more at yule

jolly Synonyms

Synonyms
blithesome, festive, gay, gleeful, jocose, jocular, jocund, merry, jovial, laughing, mirthful, sunny
Antonyms
disagreeable, pleasureless, unpalatable, unpleasant, unwelcome
Related Words
amused, beaming, chuckling, giggling, smiling; bright, buoyant, carefree, cheerful, cheery, chipper, lighthearted, lightsome, upbeat; animated, bouncing, frisky, jaunty, lively, peppy, perky, spirited, sprightful, sprightly, vivacious, zippy; blessed (also blest), blissful, delighted, ecstatic, elated, enraptured, entranced, euphoric, exhilarated, exuberant, exultant, gladsome, happy, high, joyful, joyous, jubilant, overjoyed, radiant, rapturous, ravished, thrilled, tickled; amusing, facetious, flippant, frolicsome, funny, hilarious, jesting, joking, joshing, playful, sportive, witty; cavalier, devil-may-care, easygoing, happy-go-lucky, insouciant, unconcerned; hopeful, optimistic, rosy, sanguine; antic, comic, comical, farcical, humorous, riotous, sidesplitting, uproarious
Near Antonyms
abject, aggrieved, anguished, blue, brokenhearted, crestfallen, dejected, depressed, despondent, disconsolate, disheartened, dispirited, downcast, downhearted, forlorn, glum, heartbroken, heartsick, heavyhearted, low-spirited, melancholy, sad, saddened, sorrowful, unhappy; crying, groaning, moaning, sobbing, wailing, weeping; discontented, disgruntled, moody; doleful, dolorous, joyless, lachrymose, lugubrious, mournful, plaintive, sorry, woeful; black, bleak, cheerless, comfortless, dark, depressing, desolate, dismal, dreary, gloomy, glum, gray (also grey), morose, saturnine, somber (or sombre), sullen; miserable, woebegone, wretched; dull, lethargic, listless, sluggish, torpid

Synonym Discussion of jolly

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
2

jolly

adverb jol·ly

Definition of jolly

  1. :  very would … do as they were jolly well told — John Stockbridge

See jolly defined for English-language learners

Examples of jolly in a Sentence

  1. “I've finished my assignment.” “Jolly good!”

  2. She learned to be jolly careful in his presence.

Origin and Etymology of jolly

see 1jolly

jolly Synonyms

Synonyms
achingly, almighty, archly, awful, awfully, badly, beastly, blisteringly, bone, colossally, corking, cracking, damn, damned, dang, deadly, desperately, eminently, enormously, especially, ever, exceedingly (also exceeding), extra, extremely, fabulously, fantastically, far, fiercely, filthy, frightfully, full, greatly, heavily, highly, hugely, immensely, incredibly, intensely, very, majorly, mightily, mighty, monstrous [chiefly dialect], mortally, most, much, particularly, passing, rattling, real, really, right, roaring, roaringly, seriously, severely, so, sore, sorely, spanking, specially, stinking, such, super, supremely, surpassingly, terribly, that, thumping, too, unco, uncommonly, vastly, vitally, way, whacking, wicked, wildly
Antonyms
little, negligibly, nominally, slightly, somewhat
Related Words
absolutely, altogether, completely, downright, entirely, flat-out, fully, positively, purely, radically, thoroughly, totally, utterly, wholly; deeply, profoundly; exceptionally, notably, remarkably; considerably, extensively, significantly, substantially; appreciably, discernibly, markedly, noticeably, obviously, palpably, plainly, visibly; abundantly, plentifully; astronomically, grandly, monstrously, monumentally; excessively, obscenely, overmuch; amazingly, astonishingly, staggeringly
Near Antonyms
meagerly, scantily; barely, hardly, just, marginally, minimally, scarcely
3

jolly

noun jol·ly

Definition of jolly

plural

jollies

  1. 1 chiefly British :  a good time :  jollification

  2. 2 jollies plural :  kicks get their jollies by reenacting famous murders — H. F. Waters

Examples of jolly in a Sentence

  1. spent their nights around the campfire good-naturedly jollying and telling scary stories

Origin and Etymology of jolly

see 1jolly

4

jolly

verb jol·ly

Definition of jolly

jollied

;

jollying
  1. intransitive verb

  2. :  to engage in good-natured banter jollied and joked with sailors in the street — Dixon Wecter

  3. transitive verb

  4. :  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

Origin and Etymology of jolly

see 1jolly

jolly Synonyms

Synonyms
banter, chaff, fool, fun, gag, jape, jest, jive, joke, josh, kid, quip, wisecrack, yuk (or yuck) [slang]
Related Words
gibe (or jibe), haze, jeer, mock, rag, rally, razz, rib, ridicule, tease; caricature, lampoon, parody, satirize; amuse, divert, entertain

Phrases Related to JOLLY

Related Phrases

JOLLY Defined for English Language Learners

jolly

play
adjective

Definition of jolly for English Language Learners

  • : full of happiness and joy : happy and cheerful

  • : very pleasant or enjoyable

jolly

adverb

Definition of jolly for English Language Learners

  • : very or extremely

JOLLY Defined for Kids

1

jolly

play
adjective jol·ly \ˈjä-lē\

Definition of jolly for Students

jollier

;

jolliest

  1. :  full of fun or joy

2

jolly

play
adverb jol·ly

Definition of jolly for Students

  1. :  1very 1 We had a jolly good time.

Learn More about jolly

  1. See words that rhyme with jolly Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for jolly Spanish Central: Translation of jolly Nglish: Translation of jolly for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of jolly for Arabic speakers

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