rollicking

[rol-i-king]

See more synonyms for rollicking on Thesaurus.com

adjective

carefree and joyous: They had a rollicking good time.
swaggering; boisterous.

Origin of rollicking

First recorded in 1805–15; rollick + -ing²

Related formsrol·lick·ing·ly, adverbrol·lick·ing·ness, noun

Synonyms for rollicking

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1. jolly, hearty, merry, gay, exuberant.

rollick

[rol-ik]

verb (used without object)

to move or act in a carefree, frolicsome manner; behave in a free, hearty, lively, or jovial way.

Origin of rollick

1820–30; blend of romp and frolic

Related formsrol·lick·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for rollicking

joyous, joyful, spirited, merry, boisterous, sprightly, jaunty, lighthearted, antic, cavorting, carefree, cheerful, devil-may-care, exuberant, frisky, frolicsome, glad, happy, hearty, jovial

Examples from the Web for rollicking

Contemporary Examples of rollicking

“Adelie penguins are the most lovable, rollicking, comical kind,” the story read.
Lovable ‘Madagascar’ Penguins Are Known to Rape and Torture in Real Life
Asawin Suebsaeng
November 26, 2014
Game of Thrones may be rollicking fantasy, but beneath its bloody surface it is also about our dysfunctional political system.
Daenerys Goes to Washington: The Modern Politics of ‘Game of Thrones’
Jedediah Purdy
April 8, 2014
The press release touting the event promised a rollicking good time: “Tea Party Rocks Washington.”
Tea Party Is 5! No More Tantrums?
Michelle Cottle
February 28, 2014
The author of the rollicking spy novel Angelmaker, just out in paperback, tells us why reading novels is difficult for him.
Book Bag: What Nick Harkaway Is Reading
Nick Harkaway
November 6, 2012
“We had a rollicking time in the south of France for several months,” Cannon said, noting Sue visited the set several times.
Death of a Hollywood Superagent
Lorenza Muñoz
October 18, 2011

Historical Examples of rollicking

With that spirit, she will never get the rollicking air for her first act.
The Old Countess; or, The Two Proposals
Ann S. Stephens
They were gone in an instant and in pursuit of them rushed a rollicking lurch of sound.
Erik Dorn
Ben Hecht
She must have had a bee in her bonnet with all these rollicking children round her.
Prudy Keeping House
Sophie May
Dark laughed, a rollicking, relieved laugh, and swept her into his arms.
Rebels of the Red Planet
Charles Louis Fontenay
Along with this rollicking fun he had a vein of deepest melancholy.
The Negro and the Nation
George S. Merriam

British Dictionary definitions for rollicking

rollicking

adjective

boisterously carefree and swaggering

rollicking

noun

British informal a very severe telling-off; dressing-down

Word Origin for rollicking

C20: from rollick (vb) (in former sense: to be angry, make a fuss); perhaps influenced by bollocking

rollick

verb

(intr) to behave in a carefree, frolicsome, or boisterous manner

noun

a boisterous or carefree escapade or event

Word Origin for rollick

C19: of Scottish dialect origin, probably from romp + frolic

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

Word Origin and History for rollicking

adj.

1811, present participle adjective from rollick "be jovial in behavior" (though this does not appear in print until 1826), which perhaps is a blend of roll (v.) and frolic (v.).