Meanings
comparative more jollily · superlative most jollily
- In a jolly manner.
[Albert, as scout leader:] Forward! Jollily forward!
1959 September 13, Walt Kelly, Pogo, comic strip, →ISBN, page 2513 more examples
Every servant in the family, from high to low, wished Tom success, and I can fancy, an’ please your honour, I see him this moment with his white dimity waistcoat and breeches, and hat a little o’one side, passing jollily along the street, swinging his stick, with a smile and a cheerful word for every body he met.
1782, Laurence Sterne, “Remainder of the Story of Trim’s Brother”, in The Beauties of Sterne: including all his pathetic tales, and most distinguished observations on life, London: T. Davies et al, page 74There’s a sermon now, writ in high heaven, and the sun goes through it every year, and yet comes out of it all alive and hearty. Jollily he, aloft there, wheels through toil and trouble […]
1851 November 14, Herman Melville, “Chapter 99”, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLCThey stiffened when they saw Hillier, ready to throw him a salute, but he waved at them jollily as he marched through, singing.
1966, Anthony Burgess, Tremor of Intent: An Eschatological Spy Novel, London: Heinemann, Part III, Chapter 3
Origin
- Middle Englishjolily
- Englishjollily
From Middle English jolily; equivalent to jolly + -ly.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
jollily. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/jollily
“jollily.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/jollily. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “jollily,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/jollily.
Source: jollily on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.