jocund

[jok-uhnd, joh-kuhnd]

adjective

1. cheerful; merry; blithe; glad.

   a witty and jocund group.

   Synonyms: jolly, blithesome, joyful, joyous

jocund

/ dʒəʊˈkʌndɪtɪ, ˈdʒɒkənd /

adjective

1. of a humorous temperament; merry

Other Word Forms

• jocundly adverb
• jocundity noun
• quasi-jocund adjective
• quasi-jocundly adverb
• unjocund adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of jocund¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English jocound, from Late Latin jocundus, alteration of Latin jūcundus “pleasant,” equivalent to ju(vāre) “to help, benefit, please, delight” + -cundus adjective suffix

Word History and Origins

Origin of jocund¹

C14: from Late Latin jocundus, from Latin jūcundus pleasant, from juvāre to please

Synonym Study

See jovial.

Example Sentences

Of course, this is how it goes in “Romeo and Juliet” — the jocund pal of Romeo is stabbed by Tybalt, which leads Romeo to kill Tybalt, which leads to the lovers’ suicides.

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The book would have paired Hughes’s fervent poem about the pain of subjugation with Brown’s jocund illustrations of a lion:

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That was just one role Mr. Train played — the jocund hobbyist who ambled into bookish success.

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The rest of the poem is about what “a jocund company” they make.

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That last part is a bit of cheek for effect, deleted quickly by a green cursor, a taste of the jocund energy that informs this six-part limited series.

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