1
as in gracious
having an easygoing and pleasing manner especially in social situations
a genial host who makes a point of speaking personally to each and every guest
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in warm
having or showing kindly feeling and sincere interest
genial new neighbors who helped us unpack boxes and brought us dinner our first night in the new place
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in hospitable
showing a natural kindness and courtesy especially in social situations
his genial offer to give me his seat on the bus
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in temperate
marked by temperatures that are neither too high nor too low
wanted to move to a more genial clime for health reasons
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of genial
The genial political comedy Heads of State, with Idris Elba and John Cena, had owned the Amazon Prime screen for a month when War showed up, as something both different, and familiar enough with that name and those stars.
—
David Bloom, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025
The team reached a crossroads last August, when Dipoto fired manager Scott Servais amid a summer slide and replaced him with Dan Wilson, a genial former catcher in the team’s Hall of Fame.
—Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025
While the weekly show the Kansas City tight end co-hosts with his retired NFL sibling Jason Kelce regularly gets anywhere from 12,000 to nearly 300,000 views on YouTube for their genial sports talk, the figures for Swift’s pop-in are already, predictably, off the charts.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 14 Aug. 2025
The staff is almost entirely local, including K Club veteran Alexander de Souza, a genial presence with a jaunty earring who’ll whip up a lethal rum punch for a sundowner, and another staffer who brings a fruit plate every morning at breakfast.
—Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 10 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for genial
David Bloom, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025
The team reached a crossroads last August, when Dipoto fired manager Scott Servais amid a summer slide and replaced him with Dan Wilson, a genial former catcher in the team’s Hall of Fame.
—Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025
While the weekly show the Kansas City tight end co-hosts with his retired NFL sibling Jason Kelce regularly gets anywhere from 12,000 to nearly 300,000 views on YouTube for their genial sports talk, the figures for Swift’s pop-in are already, predictably, off the charts.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 14 Aug. 2025
The staff is almost entirely local, including K Club veteran Alexander de Souza, a genial presence with a jaunty earring who’ll whip up a lethal rum punch for a sundowner, and another staffer who brings a fruit plate every morning at breakfast.
—Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 10 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for genial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for genial
Adjective
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Our recipe hails from Mary Ada Marshall, a resident of Smith Island, who was gracious enough to share her recipe.—
Mary Shannon Wells,
Southern Living,
2 Nov. 2025
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For example, Juliette Binoche was gracious enough to come this year.—
Gavin J Blair,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The Nulu fabric is buttery-soft, sweat-wicking, and warm without overheating.—
Nicol Natale,
PEOPLE,
25 Oct. 2025
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First, warm soil temperatures combined with moderate air temperatures in early autumn create ideal grass seed germination conditions.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Deep in the Amish and Mennonite communities of Ohio and Indiana, the dessert menu at Das Dutchman Essenhaus, a hospitable chain of family-style restaurants, features a pecan pie of grand design.—
Pervaiz Shallwani,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
21 Oct. 2025
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Vacherot triumphed 6-3, 6-4, to reach his first ATP final at tour level, moving one match away from capping one of the most extraordinary performances of the year, in the part of the season most hospitable to the unexpected.—
James Hansen,
New York Times,
11 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Yes, holiday cactus thrives outside during summer in temperate conditions.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
22 Oct. 2025
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Winter is also a good time to plant bare-root trees and hardy shrubs in temperate climates.—
William Jones,
USA Today,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Friday will be a pleasant day with the high temperature near 60 degrees, however, temperatures will quickly dip in the evening after the sun sets, the forecast shows.—
Kendrick Calfee,
Kansas City Star,
31 Oct. 2025
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The 32-gram chocolate and vanilla were both pleasant, with no strange aftertaste or texture—just make sure to give them a really good shake before taking your first sip.—
Alaina Chou,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
30 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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In response, Delaware last March passed a law to make the state more alluring, to which Texas quickly counter-punched with an even friendlier law.—
Geoff Colvin,
Fortune,
7 Nov. 2025
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The other side of this has been the money in the industry’s pivot first to cheaper talk shows, which don’t innovate enough to merit much critique, and now to a second pivot to turn those interview shows into video series, which makes podcasts more friendly on TikTok and Instagram and YouTube.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Crafted from 100% cotton, the fabric delivers the soft stretch and cozy feel of your favorite T-shirt while being gentle on the skin.—
Mariana Best,
Better Homes & Gardens,
31 Oct. 2025
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For this reason, tweens tend to prefer gifts that are popular or trending, like the viral Sol de Janeiro perfume or a starter skincare routine made with gentle ingredients that won’t stress out their young skin.—
Anja Webb,
Parents,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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As the conversation turned to Haliburton, Antetokounmpo challenged Turner to say three nice things about his former All-Star point guard.—
Darnell Mayberry,
New York Times,
31 Oct. 2025
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Even the fact that Refiberd doesn’t need a lot of financing to keep itself afloat because of the nature of its technology is a nice bit of happenstance.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Sourcing Journal,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Genial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/genial. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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