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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to joke
to make jokes
spent their nights around the campfire good-naturedly jollying and telling scary stories
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of jolly
Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 4 Jan. 2025
Winter break is a jolly time of the year for many children.
—Holly Garcia, Parents, 31 Dec. 2024
Mona Awad, New Yorker, 20 July 2025
The first was a large, jolly woman with a wide face and a long tongue who lived with her older sister, who was also without husband.
—Literary Hub, 2 July 2025
Sara Holdren, Vulture, 22 Aug. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for jolly
Adjective
The same jolly collection also returns to the Top Streaming Albums chart for another year.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 4 Jan. 2025
Winter break is a jolly time of the year for many children.
—Holly Garcia, Parents, 31 Dec. 2024
Adverb
On her laptop, a video played of a jolly British woman trying on all the yellow items in her closet—saffron, amber, daffodil, canary, flax.
—Mona Awad, New Yorker, 20 July 2025
The first was a large, jolly woman with a wide face and a long tongue who lived with her older sister, who was also without husband.
—Literary Hub, 2 July 2025
Verb
This isn’t a report by the fun police: Twelfth Night is bursting with life and humor and should by no means be a moody slog, but Ali’s production is too intent on jollying us along.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 22 Aug. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for jolly
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jolly
Adjective
-
In Don’t Get High, an alpha dork and her merry gang of dweebs start an anti-drug group at their high school to make friends and influence people.—
Denise Petski,
Deadline,
12 Sep. 2025
-
From a massive 9-foot fir to a charming 3-foot tabletop tree, score up to 58% off a one-time buy that’ll last for years of merry memories.—
Mariana Best,
Better Homes & Gardens,
25 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Sinner had left the court for a medical timeout after losing the second set, and was sweating heavily from the first set onward on a pleasant 77-degree evening.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
-
The fact that people actually read it — that now, TFD is a fully-fledged media company with a staff of eight and a monthly audience of over 3 million women — came as a pleasant surprise.—
Chelsea Fagan,
PEOPLE,
6 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
In her latest Jo + Tiny Mic series on Instagram, the Texas native shared four of her favorite secrets to instantly elevate a room, and the principles can be perfectly applied to your fall home decor using Gaines’ very own Magnolia collection at Target.—
Stephanie Osmanski,
Better Homes & Gardens,
9 Sep. 2025
-
In heated hearings over the past week, Republicans released very little information about the map’s impact on specific communities across the Kansas City area.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
During an appearance on Today With Jenna & Friends, Cummings, 43, candidly joked about her experience with postpartum depression after welcoming her son Henry back in December 2023, sharing that her struggles even inspired the name of her ongoing Big Baby tour.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Well, enough to joke about his age during a recent visit to officially open the Midland Metropolitan University Hospital in Smethwick.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
4 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
But waiting to carve on the day of the holiday only gives you trick-or-treating night to enjoy their festive glow.—
Maria Sabella,
Better Homes & Gardens,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Futureplusx 38-Piece Artificial Pumpkin Set Pumpkins are the must-have gourds for bringing a festive look to your home.—
Toni Sutton,
PEOPLE,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Ansari, Rogen, and Reeves make for a delightful trio of heavy-hitters.—
Beandrea July,
IndieWire,
7 Sep. 2025
-
What follows is a delightful mix of slapstick comedy (a bathtub scene that ranks among the best physical comedy of the decade), whimsical set pieces, and a genuinely touching story about belonging.—
Travis Bean,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
Or consider the extremely rapid development of vaccines during the recent COVID pandemic.—
Alan Lightman
September 12,
Literary Hub,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Kirk has risen in popularity over the years for his extremely polarizing takes, which resulted in a heavy split among reactions to his passing.—
Regina Cho,
VIBE.com,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Slicing against the grain breaks up these fibers into smaller pieces, giving the steak a more tender, enjoyable texture.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Built around an all-in performance by Tedeschi, who repeatedly seems on the brink of going full Nicolas Cage but always pulls back at the last moment, Duse is an enjoyable but somewhat opaque take on an enigmatic Italian legend.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
4 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Jolly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jolly. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.
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