jolly
Americanadjective
-
in good spirits; lively; merry.
In a moment he was as jolly as ever.
- Antonyms:
- melancholy, gloomy
-
cheerfully festive or convivial.
a jolly party.
- Antonyms:
- melancholy, gloomy
-
joyous; happy.
Christmas is a jolly season.
- Antonyms:
- melancholy, gloomy
-
Chiefly British Informal. delightful; charming.
-
British.
-
Informal. great; thorough.
a jolly blunderer.
-
Slang. slightly drunk; tipsy.
-
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
-
Informal. the practice or an instance of jollying a person.
-
Informal. Usually jollies. pleasurable excitement, especially from or as if from something forbidden or improper; thrills; kicks.
He gets his jollies from watching horror movies.
adverb
adjective
-
full of good humour; jovial
-
having or provoking gaiety and merrymaking; festive
-
greatly enjoyable; pleasing
adverb
verb
-
to try to make or keep (someone) cheerful
-
to make goodnatured fun of
noun
-
informal a festivity or celebration
-
informal a trip, esp one made for pleasure by a public official or committee at public expense
-
slang a Royal Marine
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
have jolliedperfect
-
has jolliedperfect 3rd person singular
-
has been jollyingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
-
am jollyingprogressive 1st person singular
-
is jollyingprogressive 3rd person singular
-
are jollyingprogressive
-
jollyingparticiple
-
have been jollyingperfect progressive
-
jolliessingular 3rd person
Past
-
had jolliedperfect
-
were jollyingprogressive plural
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had been jollyingperfect progressive
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jolliedparticiple
-
was jollyingprogressive singular
-
jolliedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of jolly
1275–1325; Middle English joli, jolif < Old French, equivalent to jol- (probably < Old Norse jōl Yule ( def. ) ) + -if -ive
Explanation
Someone who's jolly is extremely cheerful. Your jolly French teacher might spend a large part of each class laughing out loud at his own jokes — if only you understood French, you could laugh along with him. Santa Claus might be the mythical figure best known for being jolly — he's especially famous for his jolly "Ho ho ho!" Anyone who tends to be merry or festive is jolly, and when you want to cheer up a less-than-jolly friend, you can jolly them, teasing or kidding until they smile. The Old French root is jolif, "festive, merry, or pretty."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
And maybe Van Dyke is a little like Santa: white hair, rosy cheeks, jolly and wholesome.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 2, 2026
Target, meanwhile, brings back Kris K., a jolly bearded Christmas enthusiast introduced in a 2024 campaign.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 15, 2025
Evan is also staying jolly, having joked that he would soon be going really fast in his wheelchair, which he currently uses at school.
From BBC • Dec. 12, 2025
Puckish humor, high-culture references and interior artwork by Ashley Mackenzie and Virginia Allyn give excitement and heft to this jolly read for children ages 10 and older.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 12, 2025
Then they played a jolly game of croquet, laughing without much reason, and they continued laughing as they relaxed on a carpet of moss.
From "Abel's Island" by William Steig
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
