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jocular

UK/ˈd͡ʒɒkjʊlə/US/ˈd͡ʒɑkjəlɚ/
adjectiveC2Rare in speech; mostly a word you read · #15,085 of 15,258leans written

Jocular means fond of joking, and meant in fun. A jocular remark.

It is often used to explain away something that landed badly. A jocular tone in a serious meeting is the fastest way to lose a room.

ITAR-TASS · CC BY 4.0

Definitions of jocular

  1. 1adjectivejocularFond of joking, and meant in fun.C2

    “The jocular aside was the only thing anybody quoted afterwards.”

jocular is a quality.

Where it comes from

Latin iocularis, from iocus, a jest, the root of joke and jocose.

  1. Proto-Indo-European

    *yek-

  2. Latin

    iocularis

  3. English, today

    jocular

Built from

  • ioculus · Latin — a little jest
  • iocus · Latin — a jest

From Latin iocularis, from ioculus (“a little jest”), diminutive of iocus (“a jest”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practise this word

jocular in the wild

  • The term has also been used, independently of any meaning related to sexuality, as an alternate spelling for boy, often as a jocular (meme) spelling.

    Boi (slang)

  • The term has been considered jocular since the mid-20th century and has fallen into disuse.

    Mackerel snapper

  • Missus may signify The spoken pronunciation of Mrs., often jocular or in dialect Missus dominicus, an "envoy of the lord" in Frankish court culture.

    Missus

  • The word is not neutral but jocular language.

    Kotiryssä

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

Related words

the iocus family

joke

jocular — used about once every 159,543 pages · #15,085 · point at the bar for the others