jovial

[ joh-vee-uhl ]
/ ˈdʒoʊ vi əl /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR jovial ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

endowed with or characterized by a hearty, joyous humor or a spirit of good-fellowship: a wonderfully jovial host.
(initial capital letter) of or relating to the god Jove, or Jupiter.

QUIZZES

DIVE INTO THIS BALMY SUMMERTIME SPELLING QUIZ

Do you often fall under the spell of the summer season? See if you can really spell your way through it with this quiz of popular summertime words.
Question 1 of 12
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of jovial

1580–90; < Medieval Latin joviālis of Jupiter (the planet, supposed to exert a happy influence), equivalent to Latin jovi- (see Jovian) + -ālis -al1

SYNONYMS FOR jovial

1 merry, jolly, convivial, gay, joyful, mirthful. 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.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR jovial ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM jovial

jo·vi·al·ly, adverbjo·vi·al·ness, nounun·jo·vi·al, adjectiveun·jo·vi·al·ly, adverb

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH jovial

jocose jocular jocund jovial (see synonym study at the current entry)

Words nearby jovial

journo, joust, jouve, jouy print, jove, jovial, joviality, jovian, jovian planet, jow, jowett
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to jovial

cordial, amiable, festive, buoyant, jolly, pleasant, good-natured, chipper, sociable, cheery, affable, convivial, lighthearted, airy, animated, blithe, companionable, daffy, delightful, dizzy

Example sentences from the Web for jovial

British Dictionary definitions for jovial

jovial
/ (ˈdʒəʊvɪəl) /

adjective

having or expressing convivial humour; jolly

Derived forms of jovial

joviality or jovialness, nounjovially, adverb

Word Origin for jovial

C16: from Latin joviālis of (the planet) Jupiter, considered by astrologers to foster good humour
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