jolly

[ jol-ee ]
See synonyms for jolly on Thesaurus.com
adjective,jol·li·er, jol·li·est.
  1. in good spirits; lively; merry: In a moment he was as jolly as ever.

  2. cheerfully festive or convivial: a jolly party.

  1. joyous; happy: Christmas is a jolly season.

  2. Chiefly British Informal. delightful; charming.

  3. British.

    • Informal. great; thorough: a jolly blunderer.

    • Slang. slightly drunk; tipsy.

verb (used with object),jol·lied, jol·ly·ing.
  1. Informal. to talk or act agreeably to (a person) in order to keep that person in good humor, especially in the hope of gaining something (usually followed by along): They jollied him along until the job was done.

verb (used without object),jol·lied, jol·ly·ing.
  1. Informal. to jolly a person; josh; kid.

noun,plural jol·lies.
  1. Informal. the practice or an instance of jollying a person.

  2. Usually jollies. Informal. pleasurable excitement, especially from or as if from something forbidden or improper; thrills; kicks: He gets his jollies from watching horror movies.

adverb
  1. British Informal. extremely; very: He'll jolly well do as he's told.

Origin of jolly

1
1275–1325; Middle English joli, jolif <Old French, equivalent to jol- (probably <Old Norse jōl Yule) + -if -ive

Other words for jolly

Opposites for jolly

Other words from jolly

  • jol·li·ly, adverb
  • jol·li·ness, noun
  • un·jol·ly, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use jolly in a sentence

  • And to better the smile, he had the jolliest little chuckle that ever came through a pair of baby lips.

    Cabin Fever | B. M. Bower
  • "It's the jolliest sight I ever saw, Tom," he exclaimed with delight more than once during the evening.

    The White Man's Foot | Grant Allen
  • Well, Bess, old girl, we're off now for the jolliest time out!

    The Transformation of Job | Frederick Vining Fisher
  • But he stood there at last, after the jolliest romp, in which the old kirkyard rang with laughter, and oh!

    Greyfriars Bobby | Eleanor Atkinson
  • "You come along to the jolliest booth—I'll show it to you," said Sedgett, and lifted one leg in dancing attitude.

    Rhoda Fleming, Complete | George Meredith

British Dictionary definitions for jolly

jolly

/ (ˈdʒɒlɪ) /


adjective-lier or -liest
  1. full of good humour; jovial

  2. having or provoking gaiety and merrymaking; festive

  1. greatly enjoyable; pleasing

adverb
  1. British (intensifier): you're jolly nice

verb-lies, -lying or -lied (tr) informal
  1. (often foll by up or along) to try to make or keep (someone) cheerful

  2. to make goodnatured fun of

noun
  1. informal, mainly British a festivity or celebration

  2. informal, mainly British a trip, esp one made for pleasure by a public official or committee at public expense

  1. British slang a Royal Marine

Origin of jolly

1
C14: from Old French jolif, probably from Old Norse jōl yule

Derived forms of jolly

  • jolliness, noun

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