gregarious

[gri-gair-ee-uhs]

See more synonyms for gregarious on Thesaurus.com

adjective

fond of the company of others; sociable.
living in flocks or herds, as animals.
Botany. growing in open clusters or colonies; not matted together.

pertaining to a flock or crowd.

Origin of gregarious

1660–70; < Latin gregārius belonging to a flock, equivalent to greg- (stem of grex) flock + -ārius -ary

Related formsgre·gar·i·ous·ly, adverbgre·gar·i·ous·ness, nounnon·gre·gar·i·ous, adjectivenon·gre·gar·i·ous·ly, adverbnon·gre·gar·i·ous·ness, nounun·gre·gar·i·ous, adjectiveun·gre·gar·i·ous·ly, adverbun·gre·gar·i·ous·ness, noun

Synonyms for gregarious

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1. social, genial, outgoing, convivial, companionable, friendly, extroverted.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for gregarious

affable, sociable, companionable, convivial, cordial, fun, outgoing, social, clubby

Examples from the Web for gregarious

Contemporary Examples of gregarious

Alexander is everything Turing is not—gregarious, flirty, and, you guessed it, charming.
From ‘The Good Wife’ to ‘The Imitation Game’: Matthew Goode Wages His Charm Offensive
Kevin Fallon
November 24, 2014
Onscreen, Teller is a bit like a young Vince Vaughn—gregarious, charming, and a tad suspicious.
Miles Teller’s Movie Star Moment: From the Brink of Death to ‘Whiplash’
Marlow Stern
October 14, 2014
In person, Reiner is gregarious and very chatty, regaling you with great anecdotes from his back catalogue.
Rob Reiner on the State of Romcoms, ‘The Princess Bride’s’ Alternate Ending, and the Red Viper
Marlow Stern
July 27, 2014
He was gregarious and sociable, enjoying the company of entourages whenever he went to Cannes or some other film festival.
My Friend, Roger Ebert: Pulitzer Prize Winner Tom Shales on the Moving Documentary ‘Life Itself’
Tom Shales
July 6, 2014
The gregarious pair met while studying at Kingston University in England; they self-initiated the project while still students.
The A-Z Dictionary of Google Images—For the Moment
Sarah Moroz
February 25, 2014

Historical Examples of gregarious

The Dublin people were gregarious and garrulous, and he was solitary and reflective.
Changing Winds
St. John G. Ervine
It is gregarious, often many stems growing from one mass of mycelium.
The Mushroom, Edible and Otherwise
M. E. Hard
Westray was of a gregarious temperament, and missed his fellow-lodger.
The Nebuly Coat
John Meade Falkner
Gregarious: living in societies or communities; but not social.
Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology
John. B. Smith
Like the fishes, moreover, they may be either solitary or gregarious.
The Outline of Science, Vol. 1 (of 4)
J. Arthur Thomson

British Dictionary definitions for gregarious

gregarious

adjective

enjoying the company of others
(of animals) living together in herds or flocksCompare solitary (def. 6)
(of plants) growing close together but not in dense clusters
of, relating to, or characteristic of crowds or communities

Derived Formsgregariously, adverbgregariousness, noun

Word Origin for gregarious

C17: from Latin gregārius belonging to a flock, from grex flock

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

Word Origin and History for gregarious

adj.

1660s, "living in flocks" (of animals), from Latin gregarius "pertaining to a flock; of the herd, of the common sort, common," from grex (genitive gregis) "flock, herd," reduplication of PIE root *ger- "to gather together, assemble" (cf. Greek ageirein "to assemble," agora "assembly;" Old Church Slavonic grusti "handful;" Lithuanian gurgulys "chaos, confusion," gurguole "crowd, mass"). Sense of "sociable" first recorded 1789. Related: Gregariously; gregariousness.