jollity
/ˈdʒɒləti/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈdʒɑːləti/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈjä-lə-tē/ (ame, mw)
jollity — noun
1. a happy, good-natured feeling that people show when they are enjoying a shared m
a happy, good-natured feeling that people show when they are enjoying a shared moment — the quality of being full of friendly laughter and high spirits.
The party was filled with such warmth and jollity that no one wanted to leave.
Grandmother always brought a sense of jollity to family dinners with her cheerful stories.
collocation: sense of jollity
Tariq's jollity was infectious, lifting everyone's mood in the office on a gloomy Monday.
Even the rain could not dampen the jollity of the wedding celebration in the garden.
- merriment
stronger emphasis on laughter and playful fun
- cheerfulness
more general; does not require a social setting
- gaiety
similar register; suggests lively celebration
- joviality
more personal; describes a person's cheerful character
- gloom
atmosphere of sadness or hopelessness
- melancholy
a pensive, quiet sadness
文法句型
uncountable noun used with 'a sense of', 'an air of'
用法筆記
Often found in the patterns 'a sense of jollity', 'an atmosphere of jollity', or 'air of jollity'. More common in descriptive or literary writing than in everyday speech.
常見錯誤
2. a lively social event, party, or celebration where people eat, drink, and enjoy
a lively social event, party, or celebration where people eat, drink, and enjoy time together.
The village held its annual jollities in the town square every August.
collocation: annual jollities
Rosa invited the whole neighbourhood to her birthday jollities at the park.
After the ceremony, the jollities continued late into the night with music and dancing.
The local festival was one of the year's greatest jollities, with food stalls and fireworks.
- festivities
the most common modern equivalent for this sense
- revelry
suggests noisier, more exuberant celebration
- merrymaking
especially associated with Christmas or New Year
- celebration
more general; less formal than jollity
文法句型
countable noun, often in plural form 'jollities'
用法筆記
This sense is almost always used in the plural (jollities). Common in British English; less frequent in American English, where 'festivities' or 'celebrations' would be preferred.