jovial
Americanadjective
Related Words
Jovial, jocose, jocular, jocund agree in referring to someone who is in a good humor. Jovial suggests a hearty, joyous humor: a jovial person. Jocose refers to that which causes laughter; it suggests someone who is playful and given to jesting: with jocose and comical airs. Jocular means humorous, facetious, mirthful, and waggish: jocular enough to keep up the spirits of all around him. Jocund, now a literary word, suggests a cheerful, light-hearted, and sprightly gaiety: glad and jocund company.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of jovial
First recorded in 1580–90; from Medieval Latin joviālis “of Jupiter” (the planet, supposed to exert a happy influence), equivalent to Latin jovi- ( see Jovian) + -ālis -al 1
Explanation
Use jovial to describe people who show good humor and are full of joy. Santa Claus, with his constant "ho-ho-hoing" is a jovial figure. Jocose and jocular are similar words, but they refer more to things that actually cause laughter. Jovial is derived from the Late Latin Iovialis, "relating to Jupiter" — the ancient Roman god of the sky. In astrology, people born under the sign of Jupiter are said to be joyful.
Vocabulary lists containing jovial
The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 2
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Words to Capture Your Joy
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The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Live images streamed before the leaders arrived showed a jovial atmosphere, with several among the top brass of China's ruling Communist Party seen chatting and smiling with members of Trump's administration.
From Barron's • May 14, 2026
Trump, taking a jovial tone, has even joked about his Scottish-born mother having a crush on Charles.
From Barron's • Apr. 29, 2026
But for now he is a jovial Irish scamp, with the merest hint of a dark streak; where Sherlock comes from money, James, as he’s called here, is at school on a scholarship.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 3, 2026
The dictator was in a jovial mood and the two spoke for four hours, dining on black bread, potato pancakes and an array of meats.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 24, 2025
Alexandrians easily recognized their queen and her jovial companion.
From "Sterling Biographies®: Cleopatra: Egypt's Last and Greatest Queen" by Susan Blackaby
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
