First Known Use: 14th century
Dictionary
1jolly
adjective jol·ly \ˈjä-lē\
: full of happiness and joy : happy and cheerful
: very pleasant or enjoyable
jol·li·erjol·li·est
Full Definition of JOLLY
1
2
: extremely pleasant or agreeable : splendid
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Origin of JOLLY
Middle English joli, from Anglo-French jolif, from jol-, probably from Old Norse jōl midwinter festival — more at yule
Related to JOLLY
- Synonyms
- blithesome, festive, gay, gleeful, jocose, jocular, jocund, merry, jovial, laughing, mirthful, sunny
- Antonyms
- disagreeable, pleasureless, unpalatable, unpleasant, unwelcome
Synonym Discussion of JOLLY
merry, blithe, jocund, jovial, jolly mean showing high spirits or lightheartedness. merry suggests cheerful, joyous, uninhibited enjoyment of frolic or festivity <a merry group of revelers>. blithe suggests carefree, innocent, or even heedless gaiety <arrived late in his usual blithe way>. jocund stresses elation and exhilaration of spirits <singing, dancing, and jocund feasting>. jovial suggests the stimulation of conviviality and good fellowship <dinner put them in a jovial mood>. jolly suggests high spirits expressed in laughing, bantering, and jesting <our jolly host enlivened the party>.
2jolly
adverb
: very or extremely
Full Definition of JOLLY
: very <would … do as they were jolly well told — John Stockbridge>
See jolly defined for English-language learners
First Known Use of JOLLY
1549
Related to JOLLY
- Synonyms
- achingly, almighty, archly, awful, awfully, badly, beastly, blisteringly, bone, colossally, corking, cracking, damn, damned, dang, deadly, desperately, eminently, enormously, especially, ever, exceedingly (also exceeding), extra, extremely, fabulously, fantastically, far, fiercely, filthy, frightfully, full, greatly, heavily, highly, hugely, immensely, incredibly, intensely, very, majorly, mightily, mighty, monstrous [chiefly dialect], mortally, most, much, particularly, passing, rattling, real, really, right, roaring, roaringly, seriously, severely, so, sore, sorely, spanking, specially, stinking, such, super, supremely, surpassingly, terribly, that, thumping, too, unco, uncommonly, vastly, vitally, way, whacking, wicked, wildly
- Antonyms
- little, negligibly, nominally, slightly, somewhat
3jolly
verb
jol·liedjol·ly·ing
Definition of JOLLY
intransitive verb
: to engage in good-natured banter
transitive verb
: to put or try to put in good humor especially to gain an end
First Known Use of JOLLY
1610
4jolly
noun
plural jollies
Definition of JOLLY
1
chiefly British : a good time : jollification
2
plural : kicks <get their jollies by reenacting famous murders — H. F. Waters>
First Known Use of JOLLY
1905
JOLLIES Defined for Kids
1jolly
adjective jol·ly \ˈjä-lē\
jol·li·erjol·li·est
Definition of JOLLY for Kids
: full of fun or joy
2jolly
adverb
Definition of JOLLY for Kids
: 1very 1 <We had a jolly good time.>
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