jovial

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈdʒoʊviəl/ UK /ˈdʒəʊviəl/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

adj
cheerful and good-humored

Their jovial host kept the whole table laughing through dinner.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · cheerful and good-humored cheerful jolly genial merry convivial affable good-humored

Opposites

morose sullen gloomy saturnine

Word family

Forms jovialityjovially

Derived forms jovialityjovially

Simplified etymology

Jovial comes from Latin jovialis, “of Jupiter.” Its meaning “cheerful” reflects the astrological belief that the planet Jupiter exerted a happy influence on people born under it; Jove is another name for the Roman god Jupiter.

Etymology

From Latin 'iovialis' ('of Jupiter'), from 'Iovis' (Jupiter); those born under the planet Jupiter's astrological influence were thought to be of a happy, sociable temperament.

iovialis Latin Iovis Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# jovial

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈdʒoʊviəl/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈdʒəʊviəl/

## Meanings
1. cheerful and good-humored

## Examples
- Their jovial host kept the whole table laughing through dinner.

## Synonyms
- cheerful
- jolly
- genial
- merry
- convivial
- affable
- good-humored

## Antonyms
- morose
- sullen
- gloomy
- saturnine

## Derived Forms
- joviality
- jovially

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: iovialis
- Root: Iovis

## Etymology
From Latin 'iovialis' ('of Jupiter'), from 'Iovis' (Jupiter); those born under the planet Jupiter's astrological influence were thought to be of a happy, sociable temperament.

## AI Etymology
Jovial comes from Latin 'iovialis' ('of Jupiter'), from 'Iovis' (Jupiter); those born under the planet Jupiter's astrological influence were thought to be of a happy, sociable temperament. The etymological trail includes Latin iovialis and Latin Iovis. As an adjective, jovial means cheerful and good-humored. The same family is visible in derived forms such as joviality and jovially.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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