jolly

1 of 4

adjective

jol·​ly ˈjä-lē How to pronounce jolly (audio)
jollier; jolliest
1
a(1)
: full of high spirits : joyous
think no more, lad; laugh, be jollyA. 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

2 of 4

adverb

: very
would … do as they were jolly well toldJohn Stockbridge

jolly

3 of 4

noun

plural jollies
1
chiefly British : a good time : jollification
2
jollies plural : kicks
get their jollies by reenacting famous murdersH. F. Waters

jolly

4 of 4

verb

jollied; jollying

intransitive verb

: to engage in good-natured banter
jollied and joked with sailors in the streetDixon 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 alongS. E. White
Choose the Right Synonym for 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

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
But the best deal of all is night skiing with all the jolly locals with a Friday night ticket for just five bucks. Todd Plummer, Travel + Leisure, 2 Mar. 2024 To make for an even better picture-perfect moment, Ballerini and Stokes dressed up their respective pups Dibs (Ballerini’s) and Milo (Stoke’s) in canine versions of their jolly jammies. Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 27 Dec. 2023 Ideally, players should also like children, exhibit a generous spirit and possess a jolly sense of humor. Bill Swank, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Dec. 2023 The jolliest time of year is also smack dab in the middle of cold and flu season. Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 14 Dec. 2023 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
Adverb
Live Coverage Feed 3 hours ago Heard on the Street Recap: The Night Before the Santa Rally Markets are in a jolly mood again. Heard Editors, WSJ, 22 Dec. 2023 Provide a calm space for your pet amid loud crowds 'Tis the season to be jolly! Skyler Caruso, Peoplemag, 18 Dec. 2023 Fellow Full House alum Lori Loughlin, as well as Chad Michael Murray and Matthew Morrison are some of the other Hollywood stars featured in this year's jolly good times. EW.com, 21 Nov. 2023 This town loves Christmas so much that it's named after jolly ol' Saint Nick himself. Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 30 Oct. 2023 Some judges already find AI ‘jolly useful’ despite accuracy concerns The new guidance comes three months after a UK court of appeal judge Lord Justice Birss used ChatGPT to provide a summary of an area of law and then used part of that summary to write a verdict. Popular Science, 13 Dec. 2023 Last November at The Annika, the penultimate event of the LPGA season, Duncan emerged from the scoring tent on Sunday in a jolly good mood. Beth Ann Nichols, The Arizona Republic, 2 Jan. 2024 Public Safety officers at the Medical University of South Carolina reportedly responded to the school's parking garage just after midnight to find a jolly old elf sitting on a golf cart. Christina Coulter, Fox News, 25 Dec. 2023 However, ‘tis the season to be jolly—and for the main players in this scenario, the outcome is in many ways a positive one. For Figma, the deal’s collapse comes with a $1 billion termination fee. David Meyer, Fortune, 19 Dec. 2023
Noun
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 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

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

Dictionary Entries Near jolly

Cite this Entry

“Jolly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jolly. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

jolly

1 of 2 adjective
jol·​ly ˈjäl-ē How to pronounce jolly (audio)
jollier; jolliest
1
2
: very pleasant or agreeable : splendid

jolly

2 of 2 adverb
: very entry 2 sense 1
a jolly good time

More from Merriam-Webster on jolly

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!