gregarious

adjective

gre·​gar·​i·​ous gri-ˈger-ē-əs 

1

a

: tending to associate with others of one's kind : social

gregarious animals

b

: marked by or indicating a liking for companionship : sociable

is friendly, outgoing, and gregarious

c

: of or relating to a social group

2

a

of a plant : growing in a cluster or a colony

b

: living in contiguous nests but not forming a true colony

—used especially of wasps and bees

gregariously adverb

gregariousness noun

Did you know?

When you're one of the herd, it's tough to avoid being social. The origin of gregarious is from  the Latin noun grex, meaning "herd" or "flock." When it first began appearing in English texts in the 17th century, gregarious was applied mainly to animals, but by the 18th century it was being used for social human beings as well.

Synonyms

• boon
• clubbable
• clubable
• clubby
• companionable
• convivial
• extroverted
• extraverted
• outgoing
• sociable
• social

Examples of gregarious in a Sentence

[J.P.] Morgan was attracted to bright, self-possessed women who met him on his own ground, felt at home in society, and shared his gregarious instincts and sybaritic tastes. —Jean Strouse, New Yorker, 29 Mar. 1999

… the gregarious trade unionist whose back-slapping mateyness helped make him Australia's most popular politician. —Time, 3 Apr. 1989

As it is a night of many parties, the more social, the more gregarious, the more invited of the guests are wondering whether to go to Harley Street first, or whether to arrive there later, after sampling other offerings. —Margaret Drabble, Harper's, July 1987

She is outgoing and gregarious.

a gregarious child who ran up to every person on the playground and wanted to be their friend

Recent Examples on the Web

Powerful people are often seen as confident, gregarious and unapologetic — but the most humble people in a workplace can actually carry the most influence, says communication expert Matt Abrahams. —Megan Sauer, CNBC, 18 Oct. 2024

The balance between witty humor and monster mayhem is perfectly calibrated, with John Goodman bringing the laughs as a gregarious exterminator and Jeff Daniels providing twitchy paranoia as a small-town doctor with an intense phobia of all things arachnid. —Katie Rife, EW.com, 18 Oct. 2024

Pre-accident Reeve, while gregarious and fun-loving, is seen grappling with conflicting impulses and emotions that ultimately are resolved only after he is permanently confined to a wheelchair. —Marco Della Cava, USA TODAY, 11 Oct. 2024

Our family managed socially thanks to my mother’s gentle diplomacy, and to one man, a gregarious stockbroker and philanthropist, who offered my father his friendship. —Sage Mehta, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin gregarius of a flock or herd, from greg-, grex flock, herd

First Known Use

1668, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

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Kids Definition

gregarious

adjective

gre·​gar·​i·​ous gri-ˈgar-ē-əs 

-ˈger-

1

: tending to associate with others of one's kind : social

also : tending to live in a flock, herd, or community rather than alone

gregarious birds

2

: marked by a liking for companionship : sociable

gregariously adverb

gregariousness noun

Etymology

from Latin gregarius "relating to a herd or flock," from greg-, grex "flock, herd" — related to congregate