jovial

adjective

jo·​vial ˈjō-vē-əl 

-vyəl

1

: characterized by good-humored cheerfulness and conviviality : jolly

a jovial host

a jovial welcome

spent a jovial evening together

2

capitalized : of or relating to Jove

joviality

ˌjō-vē-ˈa-lə-tē 

noun

jovially

ˈjō-vē-ə-lē 

-vyə-

adverb

Did you know?

Jovial and Birth Dates

In Roman astrology, planets were named after gods, and people were thought to share the personality traits of the god whose planet was rising when they were born. Jupiter, also called Jove, was the chief Roman god and was considered a majestic type who was the source of joy and happiness. The Latin adjective jovialis means "of or relating to Jove." In French, this had become jovial, which English borrowed and used to describe people and things full of cheer or joy.

Synonyms

• blithe
• blithesome
• festive
• gay
• gleeful
• jocose
• jocular
• jocund
• jolly
• laughing
• merry
• mirthful
• sunny

Choose the Right Synonym for jovial

merry, blithe, jocund, jovial, jolly mean showing high spirits or lightheartedness.

merry suggests cheerful, joyous, uninhibited enjoyment of frolic or festivity.

a merry group of revelers

blithe suggests carefree, innocent, or even heedless gaiety.

arrived late in his usual blithe way

jocund stresses elation and exhilaration of spirits.

singing, dancing, and jocund feasting

jovial suggests the stimulation of conviviality and good fellowship.

dinner put them in a jovial mood

jolly suggests high spirits expressed in laughing, bantering, and jesting.

our jolly host enlivened the party

Examples of jovial in a Sentence

In response, an infuriating wink: Alsana always likes to appear jovial at the very moment that her interlocutor becomes hot under the collar. —Zadie Smith, White Teeth, 2001

I felt I was slumming, in my own life. My task was to ward off the drivel … the jovial claptrap of classmates and teachers, the maddening bromides I heard at home. —Susan Sontag, New Yorker, 21 Dec. 1987

For, the people who were shovelling away on the housetops were jovial and full of glee; calling out to one another from the parapets, and now and then exchanging a facetious snowball … —Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol, 1843

The audience was in a jovial mood.

He's a very jovial man.

Recent Examples on the Web

The jovial ending saw everyone from Q-Tip to Sammy Hagar to Jelly Roll on their feet and dancing. —Jason Newman, Rolling Stone, 19 Oct. 2024

For our introductory meeting, our jovial group leader Jan Curl — a longtime fitness instructor in her early sixties who went from being a Run Wild participant to guiding retreats — gathered all 12 of us in a circle and invited us to share the desires and fears that had brought us on this trip. —Alexandra Kleeman, Travel + Leisure, 17 Oct. 2024

Willie, too, was welcomed by jovial patrons in the restaurant where Heyerdahl was dining. —Francine Uenuma, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Oct. 2024

Alas, Gregg Lassen — the jovial 64-year-old from Florida who signed up to do Pascal's wash for $100 a load — did not receive a rose from Joan Vassos on this week's episode of Golden Bachelorette. —Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 4 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1592, in the meaning defined at sense 2

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Kids Definition

jovial

adjective

jo·​vi·​al

ˈjō-vē-əl

: full of or expressing good humor

joviality

ˌjō-vē-ˈal-ət-ē

noun

jovially

ˈjō-vē-ə-lē

adverb