adjective
jovial
JOH-vih-uhl
adjective
1
Cheerful, friendly, and full of good humor.
"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.
Easily confused with
jocular
jovian
Common pairings
a jovial mood
jovial host
jovial laugh
Word Forms
more jovial comparative, Jovials plural, most jovial superlative
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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.