jolly Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a happy party
  2. noun a yawl used by a ship's sailors for general work
    jolly boat.
  3. verb be silly or tease one another
    banter; chaff; josh; kid.
    • After we relaxed, we just kidded around
  4. adjective satellite full of or showing high-spirited merriment
    jocund; gay; mirthful; jovial; merry.
    • when hearts were young and gay
    • a poet could not but be gay, in such a jocund company"- Wordsworth
    • the jolly crowd at the reunion
    • jolly old Saint Nick
    • a jovial old gentleman
    • have a merry Christmas
    • peals of merry laughter
    • a mirthful laugh
  5. adverb to a moderately sufficient extent or degree
    fairly; pretty; passably; reasonably; moderately; middling; somewhat.
    • pretty big
    • pretty bad
    • jolly decent of him
    • the shoes are priced reasonably
    • he is fairly clever with computers

WordNet

Jol"ly adjective
Etymology
OF. joli, jolif, joyful, merry, F. joli pretty; of Scand. origin, akin to E. yule; cf. Icel. jl yule, Christmass feast. See Yule.
Wordforms
comparative Jollier ; superlative Jolliest
Definitions
  1. Full of life and mirth; jovial; joyous; merry; mirthful.
    Like a jolly troop of huntsmen. Shak.
    "A jolly place," said he, "in times of old! But something ails it now: the spot is cursed." Wordsworth.
  2. Expressing mirth, or inspiring it; exciting mirth and gayety.
    And with his jolly pipe delights the groves. Prior.
    Their jolly notes they chanted loud and clear. Fairfax.
  3. Of fine appearance; handsome; excellent; lively; agreeable; pleasant. "A jolly cool wind." Sir T. North. Now mostly colloq.
    Full jolly knight he seemed, and fair did sit. Spenser.
    The coachman is swelled into jolly dimensions. W. Irving.

Webster 1913