jocular

[ jok-yuh-ler ]

/ ˈdʒɒk yə lər /

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See synonyms for: jocular / jocularly on Thesaurus.com

adjective

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

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Origin of jocular

First recorded in 1620–30; from Latin joculāris, equivalent to jocul(us) “little joke” (joc(us) joke + -ulus -ule) + -āris -ar¹

synonym study for jocular

See jovial.

OTHER WORDS FROM jocular

joc·u·lar·ly, adverbo·ver·joc·u·lar, adjectiveo·ver·joc·u·lar·ly, adverbsem·i·joc·u·lar, adjective

sem·i·joc·u·lar·ly, adverb

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH jocular

jocose, jocular , jocund, jovial (see synonym study at jovial)

Words nearby jocular

Jock Scot, jockstrap, jockteleg, jocose, jocosity, jocular, jocularity, jocund, jocundity, Jod-Basedow phenomenon, jodhpur

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use jocular in a sentence

Where Simmons is jocular in a kind of clever fratboy way, Lund is more refined in his language and more robust in his indignation.
Forget the Wife Beating—Are You Ready for Some Football?|Steve Almond|September 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Talk of the economy at large—yes, bankers are interested in that too—also seemed jocular.
JPMorgan Chase Earnings: CEO Jamie Dimon Comes Clean|Alex Klein|July 13, 2012|DAILY BEAST
When he ran into Sperling at a congressional dinner at the White House a couple of weeks later, the encounter was jocular.
Democrats' Negotiator in Chief|Lloyd Grove|May 19, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Yet she never wanders far from the defining characteristics of her writing: it's all jocular observation of herself or others.
Nora Ephron on Her Life, Loves, and Disappointments|Claire Howorth|November 6, 2010|DAILY BEAST

The translator could think of no better word, because the context is jocular.
Chaucer's Works, Volume 1 (of 7) -- Romaunt of the Rose; Minor Poems|Geoffrey Chaucer
A tutor at college and a Museum attache; very jocular; given to personal witticisms, which were often aimed at Goriot.
Repertory Of The Comedie Humaine, Complete, A -- Z|Anatole Cerfberr and Jules Franois Christophe
The verb “to bag,” for instance, is in jocular use for implying a petty appropriation of property.
A Cursory History of Swearing|Julian Sharman
Probably few persons who allow themselves the enjoyment of that rather jocular expletive, the deuce!
A Cursory History of Swearing|Julian Sharman
She soon began to find sinister meaning in the jocular speeches that are current in the world as to the inconstancy of men.
At the Sign of the Cat and Racket|Honore de Balzac

British Dictionary definitions for jocular

jocular

/ (ˈdʒɒkjʊlə) /

adjective

characterized by joking and good humour

meant lightly or humorously; facetious

Derived forms of jocular

jocularity (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

jocular

Origin of jocular

synonym study for jocular

OTHER WORDS FROM jocular

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH jocular

Words nearby jocular

Words related to jocular

How to use jocular in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for jocular

Derived forms of jocular

Word Origin for jocular