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

facetiously

Nearby words

jocko, jockstrap, jockteleg, jocose, jocosity, jocular, jocularity, jocund, jocundity, jod-basedow phenomenon, jodhpur

Origin of jocular

1620–30; < Latin joculāris, equivalent to jocul(us) little joke (joc(us) joke + -ulus -ule) + -āris -ar¹

SYNONYMS FOR jocular

See jovial.

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Related forms

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

Can be confused

jocose 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 jocularly

He wore the scarlet tunic of the Mounted Police and jocularly raised his right hand in salute.
The God of His Fathers|Jack London
"Not this week, my son—not till next," said Mr. Marble, jocularly.
Afloat And Ashore|James Fenimore Cooper
I have been jocularly asked in relation to my coming here, whether I had secured a guarantee for my safety, and lo!
The Life of Jefferson Davis|Frank H. Alfriend
I jocularly told the commander-in-chief to kill all the Tuaricks.
Narrative of a Mission to Central Africa Performed in the Years 1850-51, Volume 2|James Richardson

It was jocularly styled the 'tea table,' and was used as a whipping place also.
Bygone Punishments|William Andrews

British Dictionary definitions for jocularly

jocular

/ (ˈdʒɒkjʊlə) /

adjective

characterized by joking and good humour

meant lightly or humorously; facetious

Derived Forms

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