JOLLY • FREE TRANSLATOR.ORG • Definition of Jolly

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/dʒˈɑli/ Listen

adjective

Jolly adj. (compar. jollier; superl. jolliest)

Full of life and mirth; jovial; joyous; merry; mirthful. "Like a jolly troop of huntsmen." ""A jolly place," said he, "in times of old! But something ails it now: the spot is cursed.""

Expressing mirth, or inspiring it; exciting mirth and gayety. "And with his jolly pipe delights the groves." "Their jolly notes they chanted loud and clear."

Of fine appearance; handsome; excellent; lively; agreeable; pleasant. "A jolly cool wind." (Now mostly colloq.) "Full jolly knight he seemed, and fair did sit." "The coachman is swelled into jolly dimensions."

verb

Jolly v. t. To cause to be jolly; to make good-natured; to encourage to feel pleasant or cheerful; often implying an insincere or bantering spirit; hence, to poke fun at. (Colloq.) "We want you to jolly them up a bit." "At noon we lunched at the tail of the ambulance, and gently "jollied" the doctor's topography."

noun

Jolly n. (pl. jollies) A marine in the English navy. (Sailor's Slang) "I'm a Jolly 'Er Majesty's Jolly soldier an' sailor too!"

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Etymology of 'Jolly'

Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48

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"Jolly" Quotes from Famous Books

... stood him in good stead. What once had been a jolly game, for his own amusement and that of the Mistress and the Master, was now his life-work. Steadily his trainer wrought over him, bringing out latent abilities that would have dumfounded his earliest teachers, steadying and directing the gayly dashing intelligence; upbuilding ...

— Bruce • Albert Payson Terhune

... young ladies of Tanoa is Rakope. She is the daughter of Mihake, the nephew and heir of Arama, and who is himself a great favourite and good friend of ours. Mihake is a jolly, good-tempered kind of man, very knowing in stock and farming matters, and a frequent guest of ours. His daughter, as Arama is childless, ranks as the principal unmarried lady of the tribe, and most worthy is she to ...

— Brighter Britain! (Volume 1 of 2) - or Settler and Maori in Northern New Zealand • William Delisle Hay

... the month too. Her first birthday away from home. Separation. Remember the summer morning she was born, running to knock up Mrs Thornton in Denzille street. Jolly old woman. Lot of babies she must have helped into the world. She knew from the first poor little Rudy wouldn't live. Well, God is good, sir. She knew at once. He would be eleven now if ...

— Ulysses • James Joyce

... a deprecating look at Joyce as he emerged. "I was just—just botanizing, you know." Delighted that she broke into merry laughter over the palpable fib he joined in, adding presently, "Pardon me, but you all looked so jolly! And you know I don't often see ...

— Joyce's Investments - A Story for Girls • Fannie E. Newberry

... answer it in such a way that if she is as clever a little woman as I think she is, she'll get a hint. Of course," he went on ruminatively, "it is rather a misfortune that the Princess Ollaneff and her sister are such jolly good-looking women. Makes it look a little fishy, doesn't it? What I mean to say is, it's a far cry from fishing for whiting in the North Sea to lunching with a beautiful princess at the Carlton—when you think your wife's ...

— The Zeppelin's Passenger • E. Phillips Oppenheim

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