The AI-powered English dictionary
comparative jollier, superlative jolliest
Full of merriment and high spirits; jovial; joyous; merry. quotations examples
"Full jolly Knight he seemed […] full large of limb and every joint / He was, and cared not for God or man a point."
1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto II”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie
"A jolly place," said he, "in times of old! / But something ails it now: the spot is curst..."
1815, William Wordsworth, Hart-Leap Well, Part Second
[…] he is swelled into jolly dimensions by frequent potations of malt liquors […]
1819, Washington Irving, “The Stage Coach”, in The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.
(colloquial, dated) Splendid, excellent, pleasant. quotations examples
Jo silently notices how white and small her hand is and what a jolly servant she must be to wear such sparkling rings.
1852 March – 1853 September, Charles Dickens, chapter 16, in Bleak House, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1853
(informal) drunk examples
plural jollies
(UK, dated, often humorous) A pleasure trip or excursion. examples
(slang, dated) A marine in the English navy. quotations
I'm a Jolly — 'Er Majesty's Jolly — soldier an' sailor too!
1896, Rudyard Kipling, Soldier an' Sailor Too
comparative more jolly, superlative most jolly
(Britain, dated) very, extremely quotations examples
Adrian thought it worth while to try out his new slang. ‘I say, you fellows, here's a rum go. Old Biffo was jolly odd this morning. He gave me a lot of pi-jaw about slacking and then invited me to tea. No rotting! He did really.’
1991, Stephen Fry, chapter III, in The Liar, London: William Heinemann, page 26
third-person singular simple present jollies, present participle jollying, simple past and past participle jollied
(transitive) To amuse or divert. examples