jolly

adjective

jol·ly | \ ˈjä-lē

jollier; jolliest

Definition of jolly

(Entry 1 of 4)

1a(1) : full of high spirits : joyous think no more, lad; laugh, be jolly— A. E. Housman

(2) : given to conviviality : jovial a jolly companion

b : expressing, suggesting, or inspiring lively happiness and good cheer : cheerful jolly laughter

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

jolly

adverb

Definition of jolly (Entry 2 of 4)

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

jolly

noun

plural jollies

Definition of jolly (Entry 3 of 4)

1 chiefly British : a good time : jollification

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

jolly

verb

jollied; jollying

Definition of jolly (Entry 4 of 4)

intransitive verb

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

transitive verb

: 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

Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about jolly

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Choose the Right Synonym for jolly

Adjective

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 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.

Verb

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

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Everything seems to be in order for their special mission, but then the jolly man in red (Kurt Russel) himself delivers an unexpected surprise. — Lauren Rearick, Teen Vogue, "Christmas Movies on Netflix You Can Stream During the Holidays," 19 Dec. 2018 Every December, shopping malls bring in jolly, white-whiskered Santas to pose for photos with children. — Jennifer Levitz, WSJ, "Sad Santas Confront Empty Malls: ‘Do I Have Something in My Beard?’," 17 Dec. 2018 Here's to hoping another, much jollier Home Alone Christmas Reunion might actually come out in 2019? — Taylor Mead, House Beautiful, "Home Alone Christmas Reunion," 27 Nov. 2018 The volume on the stereo grew louder, snapping Burl Ives's jolly croon into a scalding screech. — Anonymous, Good Housekeeping, "I Had to Choose Between Safety and My Mother," 21 Dec. 2018 To see all the holly jolly drama unfold, tune into NCIS: Los Angeles on December 16 at 9:30 p.m. EST on CBS. — Megan Stein, Country Living, "The 'NCIS: Los Angeles' Team Is Getting a Surprise Visit From This Special Agent," 9 Dec. 2018 The entire Riverdance crew stayed there for about a week, including their jolly, rugged Celtic bagpipe player. — Mark Ellwood, Condé Nast Traveler, "The Stories of IRL Eloise: People Who Live in Hotels," 30 Nov. 2018 The collection is filled with the recurring pattern of a jolly buffalo check in unexpected red and navy. — Kaitlin Menza, House Beautiful, "EXCLUSIVE: Check Out The Crate And Barrel x Draper James Holiday Collection," 6 Nov. 2018 Bath & Body Works is launching 40 new fragrances brand-wide, available now, and a straight-up jolly amount of them are holiday-themed. — Alexis Rhiannon, Teen Vogue, "Bath and Body Works Released 40 New Scents for the Holidays," 14 Nov. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb

Of course, not everything in this episode appears to be holly and jolly, as a previous trailer teased a special appearance from Santa... and Satan. — Lauren Rearick, Teen Vogue, "Christmas Movies on Netflix You Can Stream During the Holidays," 19 Dec. 2018 In the fourth installment of the open-world driving franchise, Forza Horizon 4, gamers and car enthusiasts will be motoring around jolly old England. — Anthony Alaniz, Popular Mechanics, "Everything We Know About Forza Horizon 4," 11 Sep. 2018 Upon arriving in Afghanistan, Mr. Sarkisian, a jolly, easygoing man, became friends with Zahir Shah, the king, who insisted that the couple extend their eight-month stay to 3½ years. — BostonGlobe.com, "Leo Sarkisian, at 97; creator of VOA’s ‘Music Time in Africa’," 4 July 2018 Upon arriving in Afghanistan, Mr. Sarkisian, a jolly, easygoing man, became friends with Zahir Shah, the king, who insisted that the couple extend their eight-month stay to three-and-a-half years. — Tara Bahrampour, Washington Post, "Leo Sarkisian, who brought African music to listeners around the world, dies at 97," 30 June 2018 He and MBrown learned from the dreadful 2010 post mortem: Coach was jolly. — Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Daugherty: Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis is a victim of his own success," 4 Jan. 2018 The winter holiday event typically involves jolly old St. Nick traveling through town and passing out candy to kids, according to the website. — Genevieve Bookwalter, chicagotribune.com, "Morton Grove's May pancake breakfast raises money for Santa's December visit," 30 Apr. 2018 The flavor of his artisanal practice is jolly, macho, and altogether reminiscent of the masculine scenery of a Thomas Hardy novel. — Josephine Livingstone, The New Republic, "Does Crafting Make People Happier?," 9 Apr. 2018 By the end of the game, one and all are quite jolly. — Susan Dunne, courant.com, "Unsupervised Fun At Club Getaway: A Summer Camp For Adults," 28 Mar. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The rich customers came off as ruthless one-percenters, getting their jollies by shooting cowboys and raping women. — Kristi Turnquist, OregonLive.com, "'Westworld' Season 2: Violence is abundant, but delights are scarce (review)," 20 Apr. 2018 The Hamptons can finally get its jollies out after years of burning, suppressed desire, a tension that could press coal into diamond in a second flat. — Richard Lawson, Vanities, "Finally, the Hamptons Will Be Sexy," 5 July 2017 The Hamptons can finally get its jollies out after years of burning, suppressed desire, a tension that could press coal into diamond in a second flat. — Richard Lawson, vanityfair.com, "Finally, the Hamptons Will Be Sexy," 5 July 2017 And as ever with Gorillaz, Albarn got his jollies by leading the way through bouncy, easily accessible and playfully experimental pop songs that whimsically combine mostly American music forms, with the help of lots of guests. — Dan Deluca, Philly.com, "Review: Gorillaz satisfy a soggy crowd at Festival Pier," 14 July 2017

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

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, "Scots on the Rocks and Jo Nesbo’s Latest: The Best New Crime Fiction," 19 May 2017

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