jovial

Borrowed from French jovial (“jolly, jovial”), from Italian gioviale (“jolly, jovial; (obsolete) born under the influence of the planet Jupiter”), from 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.^[1]

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.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʒəʊ.vɪ.əl/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʒoʊ.vɪ.əl/
• (Appalachians, archaic) IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʒoʊ.vəl/^[2]

• Audio (General American):

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• Audio (General Australian):

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• Hyphenation: jov‧i‧al

jovial (comparative more jovial, superlative most jovial)

1. (comparable) Cheerful and good-humoured; jolly, merry.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:happy

   Antonyms: saturnine; see also Thesaurus:sad

   • 1593, Gabriell Haruey [i.e., Gabriel Harvey], Pierces Supererogation: Or A New Prayse of the Old Asse. A Preparative to Certaine Larger Discourses, Intituled Nashes S. Fame, London: […] Iohn Wolfe, →OCLC; republished as John Payne Collier, editor, Pierces Supererogation: Or A New Prayse of the Old Asse. […] (Miscellaneous Tracts. Temp. Eliz. & Jac. I; no. 8), [London]: [s.n.], [1870], →OCLC, page 161:

     A melancholy boddy is not the kindeſt nurſe for a chearely minde, (the joviall complexion is ſoverainly beholding to nature,) […]

   • 1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], “Democritvs Ivnior to the Reader”, in The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, →OCLC, page 57:

     The moſt ſecure, happy, Ioviall & merry in the worlds eſteeme, are Princes & great men, free from melancholy, but for their cares, miſeries, ſuſpicions, Iealoſies, diſcontents, folly, & madneſſe, I referre you to Xenophons Tyrannus, where king Hieron diſcourſeth at large with Simonides the Poet, of this ſubject.

   • 1711 March 13 (Gregorian calendar), [Joseph Addison; Richard Steele et al.], “FRIDAY, March 2, 1710–1711”, in The Spectator, number 2; republished in Alexander Chalmers, editor, The Spectator; a New Edition, […], volume I, New York, N.Y.: D[aniel] Appleton & Company, 1853, →OCLC, page 88:

     But being ill-used by the above-mentioned widow, he was very serious for a year and a half; and though, his temper being naturally jovial, he at last got over it, he grew careless of himself, and never dressed afterwards.

     The spelling has been modernized.

   • 1790 August, “Art V. The Devil upon Two Sticks in England: Being a Continuation of Le Diable Boiteux of Le Sage. 12mo. 4 Vols. about 230 Pages in each. 12s. Sewed. Walter, Piccadilly. 1790. [book review]”, in The Monthly Review; or, Literary Journal, Enlarged, volume II, London: Printed for R[alph] Griffiths; and sold by T[homas] Becket, […], →OCLC, page 392:

     [I]n polite ſocieties, he is the eaſy, well-bred man of faſhion; and, in the more convivial parties, he is the jovial companion.

   • 1797, Richard Graves, “On the Death of an Epicure”, in Select Epigrams. In Two Volumes, volume II, London: Printed by and for Sampson Low, […]; and sold by W. H. Lunn, […], →OCLC, page 31:

     At length, my friends, the feaſt of life is o’er; / I’ve eat ſufficient, I can drink no more: / My nigh is come; I’ve ſpent a jovial day; ’Tis time to part; but, oh!—what is to pay?

   • 1843 December 19, Charles Dickens, “Stave Five. The End of It.”, in A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas, London: Chapman & Hall, […], →OCLC, pages 154–155:

     Running to the window, he opened it, and put out his head. No fog, no mist; clear, bright, jovial, stirring, cold; cold, piping for the blood to dance to; Golden sunlight; Heavenly sky; sweet fresh air; merry bells. Oh, glorious. Glorious!

   • 1905 January 12, Baroness Orczy [i.e., Emma Orczy], “Lord Grenville’s Ball”, in The Scarlet Pimpernel, popular edition, London: Greening & Co., published 20 March 1912, →OCLC, page 115:

     A long, jovial, inane laugh broke the sudden silence which had fallen over everyone.

   • 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XXXIV, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC, page 267:

     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.

   • 1951 December, Rock Island Lines News Digest, volume X, number 12, Chicago, Ill.: Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad Company, →OCLC, page 1:

     [A] jovial Santa Claus with an understanding heart and an attentive ear— […]

2. (not comparable, astrology, obsolete) Pertaining to the astrological influence of the planet Jupiter; having the characteristics of a person under such influence (see sense 1).
   • 1682, Joseph Blagrave, “[The Effects of Directions.] The Ascendant to the Body of Jupiter.”, in Obadiah Blagrave, editor, Blagrave’s Introduction to Astrology. In Three Parts. […], London: Printed by E. Tyler, and R. Holt, for Obadiah Blagrave, […], →OCLC, part III, page 226:

     This Planet [Jupiter] being a Fortune, and Friend unto nature, inclineth the native, upon this direction, not only unto healthfulneſs, but alſo to be jovial and merry, affable and pleaſant, and to delight in the company of religious men: […] [T]his direction importeth good from jovial perſons, and is an excellent time to have dealings with, or to receive any courteſie from, or benefit by them, […]

   • 1852, William Lilly, Zadkiel [pseudonym; Richard James Morrison], “Of the Fourth House, and Judgments Depending thereon”, in An Introduction to Astrology […]: A Grammar of Astrology, and Tables for Calculating Nativities. […], London: H[enry] G[eorge] Bohn, […], →OCLC, page 145:

     As ☉ is near to a ⚹ of ♃, so did a jovial man endeavour to procure the purchase (after I began), but ♃ is cadent and in detriment, which shewed he should not prevail.

• joviall (obsolete)

• Jove
• Jovial
• Jovian

• Jupiter on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Jupiter (mythology) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• jovial (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “jovial”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
• “jovial”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “jovial”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Borrowed from Latin ioviālis.

• IPA^(key): (Central) [ʒu.βiˈal]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic) [ʒo.viˈal]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [d͡ʒo.viˈal]

jovial m or f (masculine and feminine plural jovials)

1. cheerful, jovial

• jovialitat
• jovialment

• dijous
• jovià

• “jovial”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007

Borrowed from Italian gioviale, from Latin ioviālis. Unrelated to joie.

• IPA^(key): /ʒɔ.vjal/

• Audio:

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• Homophones: joviale, joviales

jovial (feminine joviale, masculine plural joviaux, feminine plural joviales)

1. jovial, jolly

   Near-synonym: gai

• jovialement
• jovialité

• ⇒ Czech: žoviální

• “jovial”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Borrowed from French jovial, from Italian gioviale, from Latin ioviālis.

• IPA^(key): /joˈviaːl/

• Audio:

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jovial (strong nominative masculine singular jovialer, comparative jovialer, superlative am jovialsten)

1. jovial
   • 1942, Stefan Zweig, Die Welt von Gestern […] [The World of Yesterday]‎^[1]:

     Denn von dieser Stunde an tat mein früher so jovialer Hauswirt alles, um mir den weiteren Aufenthalt im Hotel zu verleiden.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

• “jovial” in Duden online
• “jovial” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

From German jovial, from Latin jovialis.

• IPA^(key): /ju.vi.aːl/, [jʊ.ʋɪ.ˈaːl]

• Audio:

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jovial (neuter singular jovialt, definite singular and plural joviale)

1. jovial

“jovial” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

From German jovial, from Latin jovialis.

• IPA^(key): /ju.vi.aːl/, [jʊ.ʋɪ.ˈaːl]

jovial (neuter singular jovialt, definite singular and plural joviale)

1. jovial

“jovial” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Borrowed from Latin ioviālis.

• Rhymes: -al, -aw
• Hyphenation: jo‧vi‧al

jovial m or f (plural joviais)

1. jovial; merry, cheerful

Borrowed from French jovial.

jovial m or n (feminine singular jovială, masculine plural joviali, feminine and neuter plural joviale)

1. jocose

• jovialitate

From Latin ioviālis.

• IPA^(key): /xoˈbjal/ [xoˈβ̞jal]

• Audio (Colombia):

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• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: jo‧vial

jovial m or f (masculine and feminine plural joviales)

1. Jovian
2. cheerful, jovial

   Synonym: jocundo

• “jovial”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 10 December 2024