jolly

[ jol-ee ]
See synonyms for jolly on Thesaurus.com
adjective,jol·li·er, jol·li·est.
  1. in good spirits; lively; merry: In a moment he was as jolly as ever.

  2. cheerfully festive or convivial: a jolly party.

  1. joyous; happy: Christmas is a jolly season.

  2. Chiefly British Informal. delightful; charming.

  3. British.

    • Informal. great; thorough: a jolly blunderer.

    • Slang. slightly drunk; tipsy.

verb (used with object),jol·lied, jol·ly·ing.
  1. Informal. to talk or act agreeably to (a person) in order to keep that person in good humor, especially in the hope of gaining something (usually followed by along): They jollied him along until the job was done.

verb (used without object),jol·lied, jol·ly·ing.
  1. Informal. to jolly a person; josh; kid.

noun,plural jol·lies.
  1. Informal. the practice or an instance of jollying a person.

  2. Usually jollies. Informal. pleasurable excitement, especially from or as if from something forbidden or improper; thrills; kicks: He gets his jollies from watching horror movies.

adverb
  1. British Informal. extremely; very: He'll jolly well do as he's told.

Origin of jolly

1
1275–1325; Middle English joli, jolif <Old French, equivalent to jol- (probably <Old Norse jōl Yule) + -if -ive

Other words for jolly

Opposites for jolly

Other words from jolly

  • jol·li·ly, adverb
  • jol·li·ness, noun
  • un·jol·ly, adjective

Words Nearby jolly

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use jolly in a sentence

  • Mrs. jolly Robin had often wished—when she was trying to feed a rapidly-growing family—that she could hunt forp.

    The Tale of Grandfather Mole | Arthur Scott Bailey
  • And then jolly Robin would feel ashamed that he had even thought of being so cruel to an infant bird, even if he was a Cowbird.

    The Tale of Grandfather Mole | Arthur Scott Bailey
  • And then, probably, jolly Robin would laugh and tell her not to mind, for there ought to be worms enough for everybody.

    The Tale of Grandfather Mole | Arthur Scott Bailey
  • Then a shower of dirt flew into their faces and both jolly Robin and his wife tumbled over backward.

    The Tale of Grandfather Mole | Arthur Scott Bailey
  • While the refined exquisite was giving his order, a jolly western drover had listened with opened mouth and protruding eyes.

British Dictionary definitions for jolly

jolly

/ (ˈdʒɒlɪ) /


adjective-lier or -liest
  1. full of good humour; jovial

  2. having or provoking gaiety and merrymaking; festive

  1. greatly enjoyable; pleasing

adverb
  1. British (intensifier): you're jolly nice

verb-lies, -lying or -lied (tr) informal
  1. (often foll by up or along) to try to make or keep (someone) cheerful

  2. to make goodnatured fun of

noun
  1. informal, mainly British a festivity or celebration

  2. informal, mainly British a trip, esp one made for pleasure by a public official or committee at public expense

  1. British slang a Royal Marine

Origin of jolly

1
C14: from Old French jolif, probably from Old Norse jōl yule

Derived forms of jolly

  • jolliness, noun

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