jovial

[joh-vee-uh l] /ˈdʒoʊ vi əl/
adjective
1.
endowed with or characterized by a hearty, joyous humor or a spirit of good-fellowship:
a wonderfully jovial host.
2.
(initial capital letter) of or pertaining to the god Jove, or Jupiter.
Origin
1580-90; < Medieval Latin joviālis of Jupiter (the planet, supposed to exert a happy influence), equivalent to Latin jovi- (see Jovian) + -ālis -al1
Related forms
jovially, adverb
jovialness, noun
unjovial, adjective
unjovially, adverb
Can be confused
jocose, jocular, jocund, jovial (see synonym study at the current entry)
Synonyms
1. merry, jolly, convivial, gay, joyful, mirthful. Jovial, jocose, jocular, jocund agree in referring to someone who is in a good humor. Jovial suggests a hearty, joyous humor: a jovial person. Jocose refers to that which causes laughter; it suggests someone who is playful and given to jesting: with jocose and comical airs. Jocular means humorous, facetious, mirthful, and waggish: jocular enough to keep up the spirits of all around him. Jocund, now a literary word, suggests a cheerful, light-hearted, and sprightly gaiety: glad and jocund company.
Antonyms
1. gloomy.
Examples from the web for jovial
  • Continue to be your happy, jovial, insightful self and all will work out.
  • They are a jovial, high expectations lot.
  • Hovering beneath their jovial banter is always the dark fear that a bad day on the water can be very, very bad.
  • The atmosphere was jovial, but had an air of a 1980's teen movie where everyone could be neatly classified as a jock or nerd.
  • He was extremely kind and jovial, and we spent a long time talking.
  • Here "jolly" means jovial.
  • This was a very jovial memory.
  • He laughs heartily, a jovial, round-faced man who enjoys life's pleasures.
  • Staff meetings that were once jovial are now tense, Maloney says.
  • So instead, the father becomes a jovial but persistent pest.
British Dictionary definitions for jovial

jovial

/ˈdʒəʊvɪəl/
adjective
1.
having or expressing convivial humour; jolly
Derived Forms
joviality, jovialness, noun
jovially, adverb
Word Origin
C16: from Latin joviālis of (the planet) Jupiter, considered by astrologers to foster good humour
Contemporary definitions for jovial
adjective

full of joy and happiness; merry

Word Origin

Latin jovialis 'pertaining to Jove, Jupiter'

adjective

pertaining to Jove or Jupiter

Word Origin

Latin jovialis 'pertaining to Jove, Jupiter'

Word Origin and History for jovial
adj.

1580s, "under the influence of the planet Jupiter," from Middle French jovial (16c.), from Italian joviale, literally "pertaining to Jupiter," and directly from Latin Iovialis "of Jupiter," from Iovius (used as genitive of Iuppiter) "Jupiter," Roman god of the sky (see Jove). The meaning "good-humored, merry," is from astrological belief that those born under the sign of the planet Jupiter are of such dispositions. Related: Jovially.

jovial in Technology
language
(Jule's Own Version of IAL) A version of IAL produced by Jules I. Schwartz in 1959-1960. JOVIAL was based on ALGOL 58, with extensions for large scale real-time programming. It saw extensive use by the US Air Force. The data elements were items, entries (records) and tables.
Versions include JOVIAL I (IBM 709, 1960), JOVIAL II (IBM 7090, 1961) and JOVIAL 3 (1965). Dialects: J3, JOVIAL J73, JS, JTS.
Ada/Jovial Newsletter, Dale Lange +1 (513) 255-4472.
[CACM 6(12):721, Dec 1960].
(1996-07-19)
Related Abbreviations for jovial

JOVIAL

Jules' own version of the international algorithmic language