Synonyms of jolly

jolly 1 of 3

adjective

ˈjä-lē 

1

as in merry

indicative of or marked by high spirits or good humor

an especially jolly crowd of well-wishers at their wedding reception

Synonyms & Similar Words

• merry
• festive
• cheerful
• jovial
• lively
• laughing
• sunny
• mirthful
• witty
• funny
• gleeful
• happy
• joyful
• jocular
• jocose
• blithe
• amused
• playful
• smiling
• jocund
• humorous
• bright
• amusing
• blithesome
• gay
• delighted
• spirited
• cheery
• joking
• joyous
• carefree
• lighthearted
• animated
• upbeat
• buoyant
• perky
• chipper
• ecstatic
• exuberant
• jaunty
• sprightly
• blissful
• jubilant
• vivacious
• frisky
• peppy
• optimistic
• exultant
• bouncing
• giggling
• hilarious
• frolicsome
• rapturous
• euphoric
• radiant
• flippant
• sportive
• easygoing
• blessed
• facetious
• high
• chuckling
• enraptured
• rosy
• hopeful
• cavalier
• comical
• unconcerned
• beaming
• lightsome
• gladsome
• insouciant
• zippy
• sanguine
• riotous
• comic
• thrilled
• overjoyed
• elated
• jesting
• farcical
• uproarious
• happy-go-lucky
• exhilarated
• tickled
• joshing
• antic
• ravished
• sprightful
• entranced
• devil-may-care
• sidesplitting

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• sad
• unhappy
• blue
• glum
• melancholy
• sorrowful
• depressed
• aggrieved
• forlorn
• disconsolate
• downcast
• dispirited
• anguished
• dejected
• abject
• despondent
• crestfallen
• crying
• heartbroken
• disheartened
• weeping
• wailing
• disgruntled
• moody
• saddened
• brokenhearted
• discontented
• lugubrious
• mournful
• doleful
• joyless
• sobbing
• gloomy
• dark
• downhearted
• black
• sorry
• low-spirited
• sullen
• cheerless
• plaintive
• heartsick
• gray
• morose
• somber
• heavyhearted
• dolorous
• bleak
• woeful
• dreary
• depressing
• lachrymose
• dismal
• saturnine
• miserable
• desolate
• moaning
• groaning
• wretched
• woebegone
• comfortless
• dull
• sluggish
• listless
• lethargic
• torpid

2

as in pleasant

giving pleasure or contentment to the mind or senses

we always have a jolly time at their seaside cottage

Synonyms & Similar Words

• pleasant
• delightful
• enjoyable
• nice
• delicious
• sweet
• pleasing
• good
• satisfying
• welcome
• pretty
• heavenly
• congenial
• pleasurable
• amusing
• soothing
• happy
• agreeable
• grateful
• tasty
• tempting
• comforting
• dreamy
• felicitous
• blessed
• comfortable
• darling
• delectable
• gratifying
• charming
• luscious
• palatable
• savory
• desirable
• attractive
• dulcet
• cheerful
• fascinating
• blissful
• entertaining
• delightsome
• cheery
• enchanting
• inviting
• amiable
• alluring
• enviable
• joyous
• affable
• genial
• gracious
• calming
• goodly
• hospitable
• good-natured
• kindly
• personable
• relishable
• glad
• exhilarating
• ecstatic
• recreative
• rapturous
• euphoric
• diverting
• felicific
• gemütlich
• intoxicating
• elating
• nirvanic

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unpleasant
• disagreeable
• miserable
• ghastly
• unwelcome
• horrid
• obnoxious
• abominable
• wretched
• unpalatable
• hellish
• offensive
• vile
• disgusting
• repulsive
• dull
• tedious
• flat
• bilious
• boring
• repugnant
• sad
• odious
• distasteful
• hateful
• unhappy
• irksome
• gloomy
• detestable
• unsavory
• repellent
• commonplace
• insipid
• abhorrent
• tragic
• dreary
• joyless
• depressing
• dismal
• stale
• lugubrious
• mournful
• sorrowful
• doleful
• annoying
• pleasureless
• irritating
• deplorable
• god-awful
• lamentable
• hostile
• regrettable
• yucky
• revulsive
• dolorous
• displeasing
• vexing
• exasperating
• aggravating
• disheartening
• heartbreaking
• perturbing
• lachrymose
• heartrending
• forbidding
• dissatisfying
• maddening
• disturbing
• infuriating
• distressing
• upsetting
• peeving
• intimidating
• enraging
• rankling
• riling
• outraging
• inflaming
• angering
• incensing

jolly

2 of 3

adverb

as in very

to a great degree

I jolly well agree that you did the right thing

has become a jolly careful driver since his recent accident

Synonyms & Similar Words

• very
• extremely
• terribly
• incredibly
• damned
• damn
• too
• highly
• so
• badly
• really
• super
• desperately
• severely
• seriously
• full
• mighty
• intensely
• far
• wildly
• exceptionally
• awfully
• most
• especially
• real
• that
• fantastically
• greatly
• fabulously
• heavily
• much
• good and
• particularly
• such
• frightfully
• wicked
• fiercely
• awful
• exceedingly
• immensely
• specially
• supremely
• uncommonly
• eminently
• extra
• hugely
• remarkably
• roaring
• sore
• absolutely
• cracking
• way
• surpassingly
• vitally
• deadly
• totally
• whacking
• enormously
• monstrous
• dang
• rattling
• utterly
• passing
• beastly
• thoroughly
• archly
• roaringly
• thumping
• positively
• bone
• achingly
• filthy
• almighty
• mortally
• a lot
• completely
• spanking
• corking
• colossally
• vastly
• sorely
• deeply
• unco
• stinking
• blisteringly
• entirely
• mightily
• wholly
• downright
• majorly
• ever
• right
• as all get-out
• significantly
• noticeably
• considerably
• fully
• profoundly
• visibly
• radically
• purely
• obviously
• flat-out
• substantially
• notably
• markedly
• palpably
• extensively
• plentifully
• excessively
• obscenely
• abundantly
• amazingly
• discernibly
• astonishingly
• altogether
• plainly
• monstrously
• appreciably
• monumentally
• grandly
• staggeringly
• astronomically
• overmuch

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• little
• somewhat
• slightly
• nominally
• negligibly
• just
• hardly
• scarcely
• barely
• marginally
• minimally
• scantily
• meagerly

jolly

3 of 3

verb

as in to joke

to make jokes

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• joke
• fun
• jest
• banter
• fool
• kid
• quip
• jape
• jive
• crack wise
• wisecrack
• yuk
• amuse
• rag
• gag
• tease
• jeer
• chaff
• gibe
• parody
• josh
• ridicule
• entertain
• caricature
• mock
• rib
• haze
• satirize
• razz
• lampoon
• rally
• divert

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective jolly differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of jolly are blithe, jocund, jovial, and merry. While all these words mean "showing high spirits or lightheartedness," jolly suggests high spirits expressed in laughing, bantering, and jesting.

our jolly host enlivened the party

Where would blithe be a reasonable alternative to jolly?

In some situations, the words blithe and jolly are roughly equivalent. However, blithe suggests carefree, innocent, or even heedless gaiety.

arrived late in his usual blithe way

When is it sensible to use jocund instead of jolly?

Although the words jocund and jolly have much in common, jocund stresses elation and exhilaration of spirits.

singing, dancing, and jocund feasting

When could jovial be used to replace jolly?

The synonyms jovial and jolly are sometimes interchangeable, but jovial suggests the stimulation of conviviality and good fellowship.

dinner put them in a jovial mood

When is merry a more appropriate choice than jolly?

The words merry and jolly are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, merry suggests cheerful, joyous, uninhibited enjoyment of frolic or festivity.

a merry group of revelers

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of jolly

Adjective

The winter holidays of 1945-46 must have been a jolly time for the Greatest Generation. — Joe Klein, Washington Post, 11 June 2026

Jason Maddy disappears into multiple roles including the sleazy diner owner, the jolly Napa depot manager who pre-reads everyone’s mail and the wise doctor who treats Tony after a car accident. — Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 June 2026

Adverb

Holmgren’s world, the one Kenrich Williams portrays as well as the one reality relays, seems mostly jolly. — Fred Katz, New York Times, 27 May 2026

Myhrvold, now 66 and still the CEO of Intellectual Ventures, is jolly and excitable in conversation. — Ross Andersen, The Atlantic, 27 May 2026

Verb

Director Nisha Ganatra jollies it along, with editor Eleanor Infante making as much rhythmic sense of the mix-ups and physical craziness as possible. — Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 6 Aug. 2025

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