adjective
jovial
JOH-vih-uhl
Jovial (adjective) means Cheerful, friendly, and full of good humor. Example: “The jovial host greeted every guest with a big laugh.”
adjective
1
Cheerful, friendly, and full of good humor.
"A long, jovial, inane laugh broke the sudden silence which had fallen over everyone."
— Baroness Orczy i.e, Lord Grenville’s Ball (1905)
"She takes the whole thing with desperate seriousness. But the others are all easy and jovial—thinking about the good fare that is soon to be eaten, about the hired fly, about anything."
— William Babington Maxwell (1918)
"The jovial host greeted every guest with a big laugh."
"He stayed jovial even after losing the match."
How to use jovial
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishWarmly cheerful and good-humored, often in a hearty, sociable way.
Common pairings
a jovial mood
jovial host
jovial laugh
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Word forms
- Comparative
- more jovial
- Superlative
- most jovial
Fill the gap
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The _____ host greeted every guest with a big laugh.
Etymology
From Italian gioviale, from Late Latin Ioviālis ("of Jove/Jupiter") — people born under Jupiter's astrological influence were once believed to have a naturally cheerful temperament.
Synonyms
View more →Antonyms
Related words
Rhymes for jovial
See all rhymes for jovial →Frequently asked questions
What does “jovial” mean?
The word “jovial” means cheerful, friendly, and full of good humor. In plain terms, warmly cheerful and good-humored, often in a hearty, sociable way.
How do you pronounce “jovial”?
“Jovial” is pronounced JOH-vih-uhl (/ˈd͡ʒoʊ.vɪ.əl/ in IPA).
How do you use “jovial” in a sentence?
Here is “jovial” used in a sentence: “The jovial host greeted every guest with a big laugh.”
What part of speech is “jovial”?
“Jovial” is an adjective.
Where does the word “jovial” come from?
The word “jovial” comes from Late Latin. From Italian gioviale, from Late Latin Ioviālis ("of Jove/Jupiter") — people born under Jupiter's astrological influence were once believed to have a naturally cheerful temperament.
