adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of rollicking
Explanation
Something that's rollicking is really fun and playful. When you throw a party, you hope your friends will describe it as rollicking. Parties with live music and great food are usually rollicking, and a wonderful game of charades with your family can also be rollicking. You might even describe a funny movie or a song you can dance to this way. The root of rollicking is a nineteenth century verb that we don't use much these days, rollick, "to behave exuberantly." It, in turn, is most likely a combination of frolic and roll.
Vocabulary lists containing rollicking
Things Fall Apart
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Mardi Gras: Fun
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The Woman Warrior
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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.
Along the way, always “enjoying work more than play,” d’Ornano had a rollicking good time.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026
Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic adventure gets a very loose and less than rollicking reimagining starring David Oyelowo as Long John Silver.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
Celebrate Labor Day with a new tradition: Sorry to Bother You, Boots Riley’s 2018 film starring LaKeith Stanfield, is a rollicking sci-fi black comedy about a dystopian workplace.
From Slate ● Sep. 4, 2026
Created by Guy Ritchie, it’s rollicking, violent and darkly funny — and Ritchie’s best work since the days of “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” and “Snatch.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026
The musicians began again, with a louder, rollicking tune, and the villagers cheered and turned to the waiting feast.
From "Son" by Lois Lowry
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
