jocular
Americanadjective
adjective
-
characterized by joking and good humour
-
meant lightly or humorously; facetious
Related Words
See jovial.
Other Word Forms
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
Explanation
Do you like to make a lot of jokes? Are you often silly? Are you usually happy? If so, then you are a jocular person. Being jocular has to do with being both jokey and fun. A jocular suggestion is not a serious suggestion — it's a joke. Some people are more jocular than others: anyone who is ultra-serious and always frowning is not jocular. A comedian makes a job of being jocular. Class clowns can't stop being jocular, though the teacher might not always like it. Being jocular is usually considered a good thing: it's not just about making a lot of jokes; it's about being happy and pleasant to be around.
Vocabulary lists containing jocular
Grade 9, List 4
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "J," "K," and "L"
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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.
Other emails were jocular personal exchanges between colleagues and friends.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026
Mr. Karlborg’s frequently jocular class commentary landed well with his audience.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 20, 2026
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
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
