jolly

adjective jol·ly \ ˈjä-lē \

Definition of jolly

jollier; jolliest

1 a (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

See jolly defined for English-language learners

See jolly defined for kids

Examples of jolly in a Sentence

Our boss was a very jolly man, always laughing.
She had a jolly time at the party.

Recent Examples of jolly from the Web

In this Numberphile video, the jolly professor walks us through the cool solution.

— andrew moseman, Popular Mechanics, "The Easy Way to Figure Out Exactly When a Clock's Hands Cross," 18 Aug. 2017
The Kids Club, an oasis of perpetual amusements overseen by a jolly and competent staff, sets the adults free to laze and lounge and nap.

— veronique de turenne, The Christian Science Monitor, "'Do Not Become Alarmed' finds suspense on a luxurious Christmas cruise," 11 Aug. 2017
There wouldn't be gifts from a jolly man dressed in red.

— alton strupp, The Courier-Journal, "Kids shine in Special Needs Pageant that focuses on 'beauty within'," 8 Aug. 2017
Now Arnold wanders the house in a jolly monosyllabic stupor, barely able to negotiate a doorknob.

— tony adler, Chicago Reader, "Hir is Steppenwolf’s latest, funniest victim-impact statement," 12 July 2017
There’s quite a contrast from Pierre’s soul-searching solo to the jolly chorus.

— diane snyder, Billboard, "How I Wrote It: 'Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812' Tony Nominee Dave Malloy on Introducing a Character Who's 'So Emo'," 8 June 2017
And their gifts weren’t delivered by a jolly elf in a sleigh, but by emails to their band directors.

— amanda rogers, star-telegram.com, "Summit, Howard bands receive rare invite," 26 Apr. 2017
Related Articles But that’s about the only thing typical in director Mark Valdez’s staging, which is jolly and serious, political and preposterous, thoughtful and thoroughly goofy.

— dominic p. papatola, Twin Cities, "Mixed Blood’s refugee camp romance ‘Vietgone’ is thoughtful — and funny," 12 Apr. 2017
Finally, order yourself a Stone Heart at Disrepute on Carnaby Street—Henny might not be historically sound, but if the series is any indication, Queen V. knew how to have a jolly good time.

— chelsea peng, Marie Claire, "Then and Now: How to Plan the Ultimate 'Victoria'-Inspired Trip," 27 Mar. 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.

Origin and Etymology of jolly

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

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First Known Use: 14th century

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jolly Synonyms

Synonyms

blithesome, festive, gay, gleeful, jocose, jocular, jocund, merry, jovial, laughing, mirthful, sunny

Antonyms

disagreeable, pleasureless, unpalatable, unpleasant, unwelcome

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

jolly

adverb

Definition of jolly

:very

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

See jolly defined for English-language learners

Examples of jolly in a Sentence

“I've finished my assignment.” “Jolly good!”
She learned to be jolly careful in his presence.

Recent Examples of jolly from the Web

Her warm and loquacious manner is punctuated by her trademark and infectiously jolly guffaw, which was immortalized on Top Chef, for better or for worse.

— miamiherald, "Chef Josie Smith-Malave comes home to Bubbles + Pearls," 2 June 2017

Origin and Etymology of jolly

see ¹jolly

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1549

See Words from the same year

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

Near Antonyms

meagerly, scantily; barely, hardly, just, marginally, minimally, scarcely

jolly

noun

Definition of jolly

plural jollies

1 chiefly British :a good time :jollification

2 jollies plural :kicks

get their jollies by reenacting famous murders
—H. F. Waters

Recent Examples of jolly from the Web

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
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

Origin and Etymology of jolly

see ¹jolly

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1905

See Words from the same year

jolly

verb

Definition of jolly

jollied; jollying

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

Examples of jolly in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of jolly from the Web

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

Origin and Etymology of jolly

see ¹jolly

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1610

See Words from the same year

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

JOLLY Defined for English Language Learners

jolly

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

jolly

adjective jol·ly \ ˈjä-lē \

Definition of jolly for Students

jollier; jolliest

:full of fun or joy

jolly

adverb

Definition of jolly for Students

:¹very 1

We had a jolly good time.

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