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# jolly

adjective (jolly, jollier, jolliest); adverb (UK, informal: jolly good); verb (jolly along — informal)

«jolly» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Happy, cheerful and friendly. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/J/jolly/#m1)
2. (UK, informal, a bit old-fashioned) Very, as in «jolly good» or «jolly well». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/J/jolly/#m2)
3. (verb, informal) «jolly someone along» — cheer them up to keep them going. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/J/jolly/#m3)
4. (UK, noun, informal) A trip or outing for fun, as in «a jolly». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/J/jolly/#m4)
5. A Jolly Roger is the black flag with a skull and crossbones that pirate ships flew. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/J/jolly/#m5)

### In the lessons

In stories: Father Christmas is jolly, a jolly sailor. In British talk: «Jolly good!» «You jolly well will!» In songs: «For he's a jolly good fellow». It tells the reader the mood is happy.

### Examples

- Santa is a jolly man with a big laugh. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/J/jolly/#x1)
- We had a jolly time at the party. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/J/jolly/#x2)
- That's jolly good work! (UK) [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/J/jolly/#x3)
- You'll jolly well tidy your room! [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/J/jolly/#x4)
- The pirates sang a jolly song. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/J/jolly/#x5)
- The staff went on a jolly to the seaside. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/J/jolly/#x6)
- She jollied us along on the long walk. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/J/jolly/#x7)

### Note

Comparatives: jollier, jolliest. «Jolly» meaning «very» is British and old-fashioned. The pirate flag is the «Jolly Roger». Adverb form «jollily» is rare.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «jolly» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/J/jolly/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«jolly» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/jolly.html) on Mova free.