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.
The first half of 2026 comes to a close on Tuesday, and with it, another rollicking stretch for the U.S. equity market.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
In a rollicking monologue, Fry described all opera as comedy, tragedy merely being the result of idiotic egos incapable of levity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 29, 2026
The album’s opener, “What Can I Say,” is a rollicking, danceable breakup song fortified by a sharp backbeat, funky bassline and synthesizer strings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 23, 2026
It’s a rollicking, intense adventure about music and the way it bonds us through history.
From Salon ● Jan. 11, 2026
This sends him on a rollicking ride of hysterics that I soon find myself on too.
From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson
Definitions 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.
