Synonyms

jocular

American

[jok-yuh-ler] / ˈdʒɒk yə lər /

adjective

given to, characterized by, intended for, or suited to joking or jesting; waggish; facetious.

jocular remarks about opera stars.

jocular British

/ ˌdʒɒkjʊˈlærɪtɪ, ˈdʒɒkjʊlə /

adjective

characterized by joking and good humour
meant lightly or humorously; facetious

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

See jovial.

Other Word Forms

jocularity noun
jocularly adverb
overjocular adjective
overjocularly adverb
semijocular adjective
semijocularly adverb

Etymology

Origin of jocular

First recorded in 1620–30; from Latin joculāris, equivalent to jocul(us) “little joke” ( joc(us) joke + -ulus -ule ) + -āris -ar ¹

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.

Mr. Karlborg’s frequently jocular class commentary landed well with his audience.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 20, 2026

The company’s aesthetic mode is wayward, oblique, loose and jocular.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2025

And its inclusion in a national inventory of cultural heritage currently being created looks set to reignite the jocular dispute.

From BBC • Feb. 15, 2025

He had the jocular demeanor of a college tour guide, an energy I hadn’t expected.

From Slate • May 18, 2024

In the same self-consciously jocular style he soon began to refer to his Quincy estate as “Montezillo,” which he claimed meant “very little mountain,” in deference to Jefferson’s Monticello, which meant “little mountain.”

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023