jovial

[joh-vee-uhl] / ˈdʒoʊ vi əl /

ADJECTIVE

happy

Synonyms

STRONGEST

affable amiable buoyant cheery chipper convivial cordial festive good-natured jolly lighthearted pleasant sociable

WEAK

airy animated bantering blithe blithesome bouncy chaffing chirpy companionable conversable daffy delightful dizzy enjoyable facetious festal gay glad gleeful hilarious humorous jocose jocund jokey jollying joshing jubilant larking loony lots of laughs merry mirthful nutty off-the-wall

Antonyms

STRONGEST

depressed disagreeable gloomy hateful heavy-hearted mean surly unfriendly unhappy unpleasant unsociable

WEAK

sad

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Live images streamed before the leaders arrived showed a jovial atmosphere, with several among the top brass of China's ruling Communist Party seen chatting and smiling with members of Trump's administration.

From Barron's • May 14, 2026

Trump, taking a jovial tone, has even joked about his Scottish-born mother having a crush on Charles.

From Barron's • Apr. 29, 2026

To his inner sanctum, his players in particular, he can be a jovial character - quoting Alan Partridge and enjoying typical training ground banter in between his demanding push for high standards.

From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026

The jovial royal believes he can persuade Jerry to change course.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2026

Although the water is cold we are very jovial and do our best to interest them so that they will stay.

From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque

Vocabulary lists containing jovial

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