gregarious

adjective gre·gar·i·ous \gri-ˈger-ē-əs\

: enjoying the company of other people

biology : tending to live in groups

Full Definition of GREGARIOUS

a : tending to associate with others of one's kind : social

b : marked by or indicating a liking for companionship : sociable

c : of or relating to a social group

a of a plant : growing in a cluster or a colony

b : living in contiguous nests but not forming a true colony —used especially of wasps and bees

— gre·gar·i·ous·ly adverb

— gre·gar·i·ous·ness noun

See gregarious defined for English-language learners

See gregarious defined for kids

Examples of GREGARIOUS

[J.P.] Morgan was attracted to bright, self-possessed women who met him on his own ground, felt at home in society, and shared his gregarious instincts and sybaritic tastes. —Jean Strouse, New Yorker, 29 Mar. 1999
… the gregarious trade unionist whose back-slapping mateyness helped make him Australia's most popular politician. —Time, 3 Apr. 1989
As it is a night of many parties, the more social, the more gregarious, the more invited of the guests are wondering whether to go to Harley Street first, or whether to arrive there later, after sampling other offerings. —Margaret Drabble, Harper's, July 1987
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Origin of GREGARIOUS

Latin gregarius of a flock or herd, from greg-, grex flock, herd

First Known Use: 1668

Related to GREGARIOUS

Synonyms: boon, clubbable (also clubable), clubby, companionable, extroverted (also extraverted), convivial, outgoing, sociable, social

Antonyms: antisocial, insociable, introverted, nongregarious, reclusive, unsociable, unsocial

Other Botany Terms

annual, burgeon, chloroplast, nomenclature, succulent, sylvan, xylem

Rhymes with GREGARIOUS

Aquarius, burglarious, calcareous, contrarious, denarius, hilarious, malarious, nefarious, precarious, senarius, vagarious, vicarious

GREGARIOUS Defined for Kids

gregarious

adjective gre·gar·i·ous \gri-ˈger-ē-əs\

Definition of GREGARIOUS for Kids

: enjoying the company of other people

: tending to live in a flock, herd, or community rather than alone <gregarious insects>

Word Root of GREGARIOUS

The Latin word grex, meaning “flock,”and its form gregis give us the root greg. Words from the Latin grex have something to do with flocks or groups. Anyone gregarious, or social, enjoys being part of the flock. To congregate is to gather as a flock or crowd. To segregate is to separate away from others or away from the flock.