jovial

American

[joh-vee-uhl] / ˈdʒoʊ vi əl /

adjective

endowed with or characterized by a hearty, joyous humor or a spirit of good-fellowship.

a wonderfully jovial host.

Synonyms:

mirthful, joyful, gay, convivial, jolly, merry

Antonyms:

gloomy
(initial capital letter) of or relating to the god Jove, or Jupiter.

jovial British

/ ˈdʒəʊvɪəl /

adjective

having or expressing convivial humour; jolly

"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

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

joviality noun
jovially adverb
jovialness noun
unjovial adjective
unjovially adverb

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- ( Jovian ) + -ālis -al ¹

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.

"He was upbeat, and he had quite a jovial way about him."

From BBC • Jan. 5, 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

The large-scale audience participation of “Twenty-Sided Tavern” naturally invites a jovial, party-like atmosphere.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 10, 2025

“I hope people will see me and see a happy, jovial person who has the same heritage as them.”

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 6, 2025

I forced the proper amount of jovial unconcern into my voice so Sim would take me at my word and drop the subject for the time being.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023