jolly
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jolly¹
- /ˈd͡ʒɒli/ UK
- /ˈd͡ʒɑli/ US
Rhymes with -ɒli
Where it comes from
From Middle English joli, jolif (“merry, cheerful”), from Old French joli, jolif (“merry, joyful”). For the loss of final -f in English, compare tardy, hasty, hussy, etc.
It is uncertain whether the Old French word is from Old Norse jól ("a midwinter feast, Yule", hence "fest-ive"), in which case, equivalent to yule + -ive, compare Dutch jolig (“happy, festive, frolicsome, jolly”), West Frisian joelich, joalich (“merry, jolly”), Middle High German jœlich (“hooting, jubilant”). Alternatively, the Old French adjective has been conjectured to derive from a Vulgar Latin *gaudivus (from Latin gaudeō, more at joy), in which case it would require Early Old French ⟨d⟩ /ð/ to irregularly become ⟨l⟩ in jolif rather than being dropped, which is the usual case (alternatively, /l/ may be a hiatus filler inserted into expected *joïf). A possible parallel of ⟨d⟩ to ⟨l⟩ can be seen in the French name Valois, according to one hypothesis from Latin Vadensis, though this origin is itself uncertain and disputed.
adjective jollier · jolliest
- Full of merriment and high spirits; jovial; joyous; merry. "Full jolly Knight he seemed […] full large of limb and every joint / He was, and cared not for God or man a point."
- Splendid, excellent, pleasant. Jo silently notices how white and small her hand is and what a jolly servant she must be to wear such sparkling rings.
- Drunk.
noun jollies
- A pleasure trip or excursion; especially, an expenses-paid or unnecessary one. 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.
-
A marine in the English navy.
I'm a Jolly — 'Er Majesty's Jolly — soldier an' sailor too!
Similar: joey
- A word of praise, or favorable notice. '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.'
- Ellipsis of jolly boat Indeed it is nearly impossible to conceive how the small jolly they were in could have escaped destruction for a single instant.
adverb more jolly · most jolly
- Very, extremely. It’s jolly hot in here, isn’t it?
verb jollies · jollying · jollied
- To amuse or divert.
-
To praise or talk up.
I do not believe in 'jollying' and 'soft soaping' a man when his work is really bad.
Similar: glaver, lay it on thick, puff, brush up to, collogue, flatter, flatterize, gloze, jolly, make fair weather, palaver, preen
Jolly²
Where it comes from
* Cognate to the French name Jolie. It derives from the Old French word joli (merriness).
* In Punjab (India) it is a corruption of the word jalli.
proper noun
- A female given name.
- A surname.
- An unincorporated community in Pike County, Georgia, United States.
- An unincorporated community in Newton County, Missouri, United States.
- A minor city in Clay County, Texas, United States.
- Alternative spelling of Jouli, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: jocund, merry, jovial, joyous, mirthful, pretty, banter, kid, chaff, jolly boat, gay, cheerful, joyful, cheery, fun, enjoyable
Talk about this word "jolly." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/jolly. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. jolly. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/jolly "jolly." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/jolly.Cite this
@misc{jolly_2026,
title = {jolly},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/jolly},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
