Jolly Definition

jŏlē
jollied, jollier, jollies, jolliest, jollying
adjective
jollier, jolliest
Full of high spirits and good humor; merry.
Webster's New World
Exhibiting or occasioning happiness or mirth; cheerful.
A jolly tune.
American Heritage
Enjoyable; pleasant.
Webster's New World
Antonyms:
adverb
To a great extent or degree; extremely.
American Heritage
Very; altogether.
Webster's New World

(UK, dated) Very, extremely.

Wiktionary
verb
jollied, jollies, jollying
To try to make (a person) feel good or agreeable, as by coaxing or flattering.
Webster's New World
To keep amused or diverted for one's own purposes; humor.
American Heritage
To amuse oneself with humorous banter.
American Heritage
Synonyms:
noun
A British marine.
Webster's New World
A good or festive time.
American Heritage
Amusement; kicks.
However you get your jollies is fine with me.
American Heritage

(UK) A pleasure trip or excursion.

Wiktionary
pronoun
A female given name.
Wiktionary

A surname​.

Wiktionary
idiom
get one's jollies
  • to have fun or get pleasure; often, specif., from that which is cheap or disreputable
Webster's New World

Other Word Forms of Jolly

Noun

Singular:
jolly
Plural:
jollies

Adjective

Base Form:
jolly
Comparative:
jollier
Superlative:
jolliest

Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Jolly

Origin of Jolly

  • From Middle English joli, jolif (“merry, cheerful”), from Old French joli, jolif It is uncertain whether the Old French word is from Old Norse jól (“a midwinter feast”) (more at yule), in which case, equivalent to yule +‎ -ive; or ultimately from Latin gaudere (more at joy). For the loss of final -f in English compare tardy, hasty, hussy, etc.

    From Wiktionary

  • Cognate to French name, Jolie. It derives from the Old French word, joli (merriness).

    From Wiktionary

  • Middle English joli from Old French perhaps of Scandinavian origin

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • In Punjab (India) it is a corruption of the word jalli.

    From Wiktionary

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