jollied; jollying
: to engage in good-natured banter
jollied and joked with sailors in the street—
Dixon Wecter
Dixon Wecter
: to put or try to put in good humor especially to gain an end
try to pay for their entertainment by jollying us along—S. E. White
S. E. WhiteSynonyms
Adjective
Adverb
- achingly
- almighty
- archly
- awful
- awfully
- badly
- beastly
- blisteringly
- bone
- colossally
- corking
- cracking
- damn
- damned
- dang
- deadly
- desperately
- eminently
- enormously
- especially
- ever
- exceedingly
- exceeding
- extra
- extremely
- fabulously
- fantastically
- far
- fiercely
- filthy
- frightfully
- full
- greatly
- heavily
- highly
- hugely
- immensely
- incredibly
- intensely
- majorly
- mightily
- mighty
- monstrous [chiefly dialect]
- mortally
- most
- much
- particularly
- passing
- rattling
- real
- really
- right
- roaring
- roaringly
- seriously
- severely
- so
- sore
- sorely
- spanking
- specially
- stinking
- such
- super
- supremely
- surpassingly
- terribly
- that
- thumping
- too
- unco
- uncommonly
- vastly
- very
- vitally
- way
- whacking
- wicked
- wildly
Noun
Verb
Examples of jolly in a Sentence
Adjective
Our boss was a very jolly man, always laughing.
She had a jolly time at the party.
Adverb
“I've finished my assignment.” “Jolly good!”
She learned to be jolly careful in his presence.
Noun
a provocateur who gets his jollies from stirring up political controversy
Verb
spent their nights around the campfire good-naturedly jollying and telling scary stories
Recent Examples on the WebHugh McIntyre, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024
The video is a love letter to Paris as seen through the jolly eyes of Jacquemus, and features a cast of characters and friends (of Nike, Jacquemus, and the designer himself) including Serena Williams, Manu Rios, Central Cee, Carine Roitfeld, Amina Muaddi, and many, many more.
—José Criales-Unzueta, Vogue, 10 July 2024
Jake Kanter, Deadline, 17 Sep. 2024
It’s known for its top-tier selection of spirits and Champagne, as well as an adventurous cocktail menu, and, during summer, live music and jolly voices echo around the port.
—Lucrezia Worthington, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Sep. 2024
Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 6 Apr. 2024
Sunday was a tough day for those, like me, who get their entertainment jollies by watching losers try to redeem themselves.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2024
The Economist, 21 Sep. 2019
So Watt sets out to convince them that the real killer is Peter Manuel by — wait for it! — taking him out on a bender and jollying him into a confession.
—Marilyn Stasio, New York Times, 19 May 2017
See all Example Sentences for jolly 
Adjective
These tunes usually begin to surge in November, as the days following Thanksgiving often signify the official start of the jolliest time of the year.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024
The video is a love letter to Paris as seen through the jolly eyes of Jacquemus, and features a cast of characters and friends (of Nike, Jacquemus, and the designer himself) including Serena Williams, Manu Rios, Central Cee, Carine Roitfeld, Amina Muaddi, and many, many more.
—José Criales-Unzueta, Vogue, 10 July 2024
Adverb
During a jolly curtain closer at the RTS London Convention, Osman and his The Rest Is Entertainment podcast co-host Marina Hyde, cast a satirical eye over the day’s speakers.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 17 Sep. 2024
It’s known for its top-tier selection of spirits and Champagne, as well as an adventurous cocktail menu, and, during summer, live music and jolly voices echo around the port.
—Lucrezia Worthington, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Sep. 2024
Noun
The 4Chan programmers got their viral sensation and their jollies.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 6 Apr. 2024
Sunday was a tough day for those, like me, who get their entertainment jollies by watching losers try to redeem themselves.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2024
Verb
As to the political will needed to jolly the process along, and arrange payment for those parts of the programme that will not pay for themselves, this can push both ways.
—The Economist, 21 Sep. 2019
So Watt sets out to convince them that the real killer is Peter Manuel by — wait for it! — taking him out on a bender and jollying him into a confession.
—Marilyn Stasio, New York Times, 19 May 2017
See all Example Sentences for jolly
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'jolly.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to jolly
Dictionary Entries Near jolly
Cite this Entry
“Jolly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jolly. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
jolly
2 of 2 adverb
: very entry 2 sense 1
a jolly good time
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share