Jolly

/ˈd͡ʒɒli/ · adjective

Meaning

Full of merriment and high spirits; jovial; joyous; merry..

Definitions by Sense

1. Full of merriment and high spirits; jovial; joyous; merry.
2. (colloquial, dated) Splendid, excellent, pleasant.
3. (informal) Drunk.
4. (UK, often humorous) A pleasure trip or excursion; especially, an expenses-paid or unnecessary one.
5. (slang, dated) A marine in the English navy.
6. (slang, archaic) A word of praise, or favorable notice.
7. Ellipsis of jolly boat.
8. (British, dated) Very, extremely.

Example Sentences

"Full jolly Knight he seemed […] full large of limb and every joint / He was, and cared not for God or man a point."

"A jolly place," said he, "in times of old! / But something ails it now: the spot is curst. ..."

[…] he is swelled into jolly dimensions by frequent potations of malt liquors […]

Jo silently notices how white and small her hand is and what a jolly servant she must be to wear such sparkling rings.

If you know what it means to be a “fidlet” going for a “jolly” in your “doo”, then you are part of an exclusive club that speaks colloquial Antarctic English.

I'm a Jolly — 'Er Majesty's Jolly — soldier an' sailor too!

'We just need to chuck him a jolly.' 'I beg your pardon?' said Faber. 'Chuck a jolly... you know! Get people on the street talking about how amazing the show is! Tell them the tickets are sold out for the next two weeks.'

Indeed it is nearly impossible to conceive how the small jolly they were in could have escaped destruction for a single instant.

Synonyms for jolly

Antonyms for jolly

Related Words

Word Forms

• jollier
• jolliest
• jollies
• more jolly
• most jolly
• jollying
• jollied

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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