English Explanatory Dictionary

jovial

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Cheerful and good-humoured; jolly, merry.
  2. Pertaining to the astrological influence of the planet Jupiter; having the characteristics of a person under such influence (see sense 1).
adj
  1. Pertaining to the planet Jupiter; Jovian.
  2. Pertaining to the Roman god Jove or Jupiter (the counterpart of the Greek god Zeus), the god of the sky and thunder and the king of the gods; Jovian.
noun
  1. An inhabitant of the planet Jupiter; a Jovian.

Pronunciation

/ˈd͡ʒəʊ.vɪ.əl/ /ˈd͡ʒoʊ.vɪ.əl/ /ˈd͡ʒoʊ.vəl/ En-us-jovial.ogg En-au-jovial.ogg

Word forms

jovial more jovial most jovial joviall Jovials

Etymology

First attested in 1590; borrowed from Middle French jovial (“under the influence of Jupiter; of Jove; jovial, jolly”), from Italian gioviale (“(now obsolete) born under the influence of the planet Jupiter”) (attested in Dante, Paradiso, canto XVIII, early 14th century), from Late Latin Ioviālis (“relating to the Roman god Jupiter”), from Iuppiter, Iovis (“the Roman god Jove or Jupiter, counterpart of the Greek god Zeus”) (from Proto-Indo-European *dyew- (“to be bright; heaven, sky”)) + -ālis (suffix forming adjectives of relationship); analysable as Jove + -ial. Sense 1 (“cheerful and good-humoured”) refers to the fact that individuals born under the astrological influence of the planet Jupiter were believed to have that disposition.

Synonyms

berserk blissed out blithe buoyant blithesome bonnie bright cheerful cheerly cheery chuffed cock-a-hoop content contented convivial delighted ebullient ecstatic elated enthusiastic euphoric excited exhilarated exuberant exultant fat and happy gassed gay gayful giddy glad gladsome gleeful gleesome happy hearty hyped high on life jovial joyful joyous merry mirthsome on cloud nine overjoyed overjoyous over the moon pacific perky placated pleased satisfied stoked thrilled tickled pink triumphant vivacious wealful happy as a clam happy as a clam at high water

Antonyms

saturnine atrabiliary atrabilious blitheless dispirited blue bummed out chapfallen cheerless chopfallen crestfallen cut up damp dejected depressed despondent disgruntled disconsolate disheartened dismal doleful dolesome down down in the dumps down in the mouth downcast downhearted downsome dull elegiac elegious forlorn gloomy glum grief-stricken grieving heavy-hearted heartsore heartsick inconsolable infelicitous jawfallen joyless lachrymose lamentful low low-spirited lugubrious lumpish melancholic melancholy miserable moody mopey morose mournful passionate plaintive Plutonian Plutonic

Related words

Jove Jovial Jovian

Derived words

jovialist joviality jovialize jovially jovialness unjovial
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