definitions

jocular

[ jok-yuh-ler ]
/ ˈdʒɒk yə lər /
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adjective

given to, characterized by, intended for, or suited to joking or jesting; waggish; facetious: jocular remarks about opera stars.

RELATED WORDS

cheerful, joking, humorous, teasing, jolly, playful, jovial, lighthearted, amusing, blithe, camp, comic, comical, crazy, daffy, droll, facetious, flaky, frolicsome, gay

Nearby words

jockstrap, jockteleg, jocose, jocosely, jocosity, jocular, jocularity, jocularly, jocund, jocundity, jocundly

Origin of jocular

1620–30; < Latin joculāris, equivalent to jocul(us) little joke (joc(us) joke + -ulus -ule) + -āris -ar1
Related forms
Can be confusedjocose jocular jocund jovial (see synonym study at jovial)
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for jocular

British Dictionary definitions for jocular

jocular

/ (ˈdʒɒkjʊlə) /

adjective

characterized by joking and good humour
meant lightly or humorously; facetious
Derived Formsjocularity (ˌdʒɒkjʊˈlærɪtɪ), nounjocularly, adverb

Word Origin for jocular

C17: from Latin joculāris, from joculus little joke
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 jocular

jocular

adj.

1620s, from Latin iocularis "funny, comic," from ioculus, diminutive of iocus (see joke (n.)). Implies evasion of an issue by a joke.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper