adj
jolly
JO-lee
adj
1
Cheerful, good-humoured, and full of high spirits.
"The jolly old man handed out sweets to the children."
"Everyone was in a jolly mood after the win."
adv
1
British informal intensifier meaning "very."
"That's a jolly good idea."
How to Use Jolly
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishCheerful and merry, or (as an adverb in British English) simply "very."
When to use it
The adverb use ("jolly good," "jolly well") is distinctly British and fairly old-fashioned.
Common pairings
jolly good
jolly nice
a jolly mood
Word Forms
jollier comparative, more jolly comparative, jollied past tense, jollies singular, jolliest superlative, most jolly superlative
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Etymology
From Old French joli, "merry, cheerful" — its exact deeper origin is disputed, possibly linked to Old Norse jól ("Yule feast").