joviality
Americannoun
Synonym Usage
See mirth.
Etymology
Origin of joviality
First recorded in 1620–30; jovial + -ity; compare French jovialité
Explanation
Joviality is the characteristic of being cheerful and festive. If you're feeling a little blue, the joviality of a big family dinner might cheer you up. If you have the world's best Spanish teacher, she won't mind the joviality in the classroom on a Friday afternoon — as long as everyone is laughing and joking in Spanish! This noun evokes a sense of lightheartedness and goodwill, like the most fun and welcoming social event you can imagine. It comes from the adjective jovial, originally "pertaining to Jupiter." The cheerful implications come from astrology and the idea that people born under Jupiter's influence are jolly.
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 coupled his counsel with joviality and a scratchy, infectious laugh that took some of the sting out of his sometimes-unwelcome advice.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 13, 2025
A classmate at the time said she had turned the school "in completely the opposite direction" during the election, using her "personality, joviality and optimism".
From BBC ● Nov. 13, 2023
For all Dave Grohl’s grinning joviality, it’s easy to forget that his long-running rock group Foo Fighters was, initially, a solo project born of grief.
From New York Times ● Jun. 2, 2023
One Christmas obligation is to bring tidings of comfort to those who, because they are suffering, find the obligatory joviality of the season off-putting and depressing.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 23, 2022
The discovery of his daughter restored his former joviality and the pleasure of being with her was slowly leading him away from dissipation.
From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
