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. White
Synonyms
Adjective
Adverb
- achingly
- almighty
- archly
- awful
- awfully
- badly
- beastly
- blisteringly
- bone
- colossally
- corking
- cracking
- damn
- damned
- dang
- deadly
- desperately
- eminently
- enormously
- especially
- ever
- exceedingly
- exceeding
- extra
- extremely
- fabulously
- fantastically
- far
- fiercely
- filthy
- frightfully
- full
- greatly
- heavily
- highly
- hugely
- immensely
- incredibly
- intensely
- 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
- very
- vitally
- way
- whacking
- wicked
- wildly
Noun
Verb
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 WebTheo Liu, Vogue, 22 Aug. 2023
Like many travelers, the Cardinals hope to have a jolly time in London.
—Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY, 22 June 2023
Writers, actors, and hella fans donned their jolliest Rogers and demanded at least as good treatment for the writers as pirates on a pirate ship.
—Vulture, 20 June 2023
As reporters reveled largely in the jolly questions of who done it and who undone it, internet basements simmered with scolding.
—Mark Sundeen, Outside Online, 4 Dec. 2020
Twitter and other social media had a jolly time.
—Chicago Tribune, 10 Jan. 2023
That's the conclusion of a review paper in the Christmas issue of BMJ that asks the jolly question of whether laughter can kill.
—Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 29 Aug. 2014
The stock market tends to end the year on a jolly note—stocks nearly always finish December in the green, moreso than any other month.
—Eric Wallerstein, WSJ, 15 Dec. 2022
The suit dates back to before Jackson, 58, took on the jolly obligation.
—Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 30 Dec. 2022
Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 22 Nov. 2023
Integrating a new Christmas food trend or two into this, the most holly, jolly season.
—Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Nov. 2023
For chilly mornings and dark winter nights, this jolly tea cozy by Orla Kiely will keep both your teapot and spirits warm.
—Sarah Rose, wsj.com, 2 Nov. 2023
Looking from afar, there are some jolly aspects to that, like happy centenarians who are living healthy lives on the Japanese island of Okinawa.
—Claire Moses, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2023
Say goodbye to bathroom woes and hello to a happier tummy, all while having a jolly good time.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 17 June 2023
Themed venues await at this after-hours event that embraces a holly jolly atmosphere with a boatload of specialty entertainment.
—Carly Caramanna, Travel + Leisure, 3 Oct. 2023
Decorate with red frosting and sprinkles for a jolly sweet treat.
17
Cream Cheese Christmas Cookies
Wrapped in Christmas sprinkles of red and green, these nutty cookies will brighten your holiday cookie tray.
—Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 22 Sep. 2023
Holst’s musical telescope is, of course, meant for astrology, not astronomy, and whether buoyant Mercury, seductively peaceful Venus, jolly Victorian Jupiter, cranky old Saturn or magician Uranus, each was sketched with show-offy, neon-bright colors and climaxes of extreme power.
—Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2023
Rachael Scott, CNN, 25 Dec. 2021
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 More
Adjective
In the end, however, the story mingled Westwood’s roguish aesthetic sensibility with a whirlwind tour of Tokyo—a place where the designer’s most provocative work has resonated for decades—starring a jolly band of models, chefs, floral artists, bonsai masters, musicians, and content creators.
—Theo Liu, Vogue, 22 Aug. 2023
Like many travelers, the Cardinals hope to have a jolly time in London.
—Gabe Lacques, USA TODAY, 22 June 2023
Writers, actors, and hella fans donned their jolliest Rogers and demanded at least as good treatment for the writers as pirates on a pirate ship.
—Vulture, 20 June 2023
As reporters reveled largely in the jolly questions of who done it and who undone it, internet basements simmered with scolding.
—Mark Sundeen, Outside Online, 4 Dec. 2020
Twitter and other social media had a jolly time.
—Chicago Tribune, 10 Jan. 2023
That's the conclusion of a review paper in the Christmas issue of BMJ that asks the jolly question of whether laughter can kill.
—Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 29 Aug. 2014
The stock market tends to end the year on a jolly note—stocks nearly always finish December in the green, moreso than any other month.
—Eric Wallerstein, WSJ, 15 Dec. 2022
The suit dates back to before Jackson, 58, took on the jolly obligation.
—Baltimore Sun Staff, Baltimore Sun, 30 Dec. 2022
Adverb
Many have themes, like jolly Santas, frilly feathers, or peppermint swirls.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 22 Nov. 2023
Integrating a new Christmas food trend or two into this, the most holly, jolly season.
—Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 20 Nov. 2023
For chilly mornings and dark winter nights, this jolly tea cozy by Orla Kiely will keep both your teapot and spirits warm.
—Sarah Rose, wsj.com, 2 Nov. 2023
Looking from afar, there are some jolly aspects to that, like happy centenarians who are living healthy lives on the Japanese island of Okinawa.
—Claire Moses, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2023
Say goodbye to bathroom woes and hello to a happier tummy, all while having a jolly good time.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 17 June 2023
Themed venues await at this after-hours event that embraces a holly jolly atmosphere with a boatload of specialty entertainment.
—Carly Caramanna, Travel + Leisure, 3 Oct. 2023
Decorate with red frosting and sprinkles for a jolly sweet treat.
17
Cream Cheese Christmas Cookies
Wrapped in Christmas sprinkles of red and green, these nutty cookies will brighten your holiday cookie tray.
—Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 22 Sep. 2023
Holst’s musical telescope is, of course, meant for astrology, not astronomy, and whether buoyant Mercury, seductively peaceful Venus, jolly Victorian Jupiter, cranky old Saturn or magician Uranus, each was sketched with show-offy, neon-bright colors and climaxes of extreme power.
—Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2023
Noun
Audiences began to take notice of this less-than-jolly movie that flooded the airways at Christmas time, and thus a holiday tradition was born.
—Rachael Scott, CNN, 25 Dec. 2021
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 More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'jolly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Adjective, Adverb, Noun, and Verb
Middle English joli, from Anglo-French jolif, from jol-, probably from Old Norse jōl midwinter festival — more at yule
First Known Use
Adjective
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)
Adverb
1549, in the meaning defined above
Noun
1905, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1610, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense
Time Traveler
The first known use of jolly was
in the 14th century
Phrases Containing jolly
Articles Related to jolly
Dictionary Entries Near jolly
Cite this Entry
“Jolly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jolly. Accessed 1 Dec. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
jolly
2 of 2 adverb
: very entry 2 sense 1
a jolly good time
More from Merriam-Webster on jolly
Nglish: Translation of jolly for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of jolly for Arabic Speakers
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