jovial means cheerful and good-humoured; jolly, merry. It carries an Arena rating of 1582, earned across 4 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, jovial ranks #495 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #551 of 17,132 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #880 of 17,104 for Most Storied Words, #1,097 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words.
jovial is pronounced /ˈd͡ʒəʊ.vɪ.əl/.
Why “jovial” is a great word
A quality of hearty cheerfulness and good humor, traditionally ascribed to one born under the astrological influence of the planet Jupiter. From Italian *gioviale* (born under the influence of Jupiter), from Late Latin *Ioviālis* (relating to the Roman god Jupiter), from *Iovis* (Jupiter, Jove) + *-ālis* (pertaining to); first attested in English in 1590. Unlike "jolly," which suggests a boisterous, festive heartiness, or "convivial," which emphasizes warmth specifically found in company, jovial is a more constitutional and celestial buoyancy of spirit. It is the avuncular laugh that fills a quiet room, the effortless optimism that brightens a gloomy day, and the generous warmth that seems less a choice than a birthright—a quiet conviction that fortune, like gravity, is simply on your side.
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.
adj
- Cheerful and good-humoured; jolly, merry.
- Pertaining to the astrological influence of the planet Jupiter; having the characteristics of a person under such influence (see sense 1).
- Pertaining to the planet Jupiter; Jovian.
- 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
- An inhabitant of the planet Jupiter; a Jovian.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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