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in a jolly mood

in a jolly mood

2.8
Feeling happy and cheerful
  • idiom
translation icon : de buen humor
  • We were in a cab on Chicago's Outer Drive, and for once Mrs. Bitter was in a jolly mood.

Examples

  • Well, since everyone's in a jolly mood, now's a good a time as any to announce.

  • The non-Virgilian apotheosis of Dido has dearly been tacked on to give the chorus and ballet something brilliant to do by way of bringing down the curtain and sending everyone home in a jolly mood.

    Academic text (2000)
  • After receiving the good news, she was in a jolly mood and couldn't stop smiling.

  • The children were in a jolly mood as they opened their gifts on Christmas morning.

  • Even on a rainy day, he managed to stay in a jolly mood and spread cheer to everyone around him.

Synonyms

merry
vsin a jolly mood
114 1.0

Happy and lively, full of fun and energy

is about being in a happy mood rather than playful action
cheerful
vsin a jolly mood
111 1.0

Happy in a way you show with a smile or friendly actions

is the feeling rather than the usual outward attitude
jolly
vsin a jolly mood
79 1.0

Happy and lively in a friendly way

is the same cheerfulness but described as a current mood
joyous
vsin a jolly mood
62 1.8

Feeling very happy and showing it

is a general happy mood not always linked to deep joy
lighthearted
vsin a jolly mood
17 3.7

Feeling cheerful and not worried about serious things

is a general cheerful feeling that may or may not be carefree
jubilant
vsin a jolly mood
15 5.0

Feeling very happy because of a success or a good event

is a general happy mood not always tied to major success
jovial
vsin a jolly mood
12 3.9

Happy and friendly in a lively, joking way

is the same happy mood but not necessarily social friendliness
high spirits
vsin a jolly mood
7 3.2

A strong feeling of being very happy and excited

is the same feeling but used as a noun phrase for mood
buoyant
vsin a jolly mood
7 5.8

Cheerful and full of energy

is a simple cheerful mood rather than sustained upbeat resilience
ebullient
vsin a jolly mood
5 8.2

Very lively and full of energy

is a calmer happy mood rather than unrestrained energetic excitement
in high spirits
vsin a jolly mood
4 3.0

Feeling very happy and full of energy

is the same feeling but expressed as a short phrase
good-humored
vsin a jolly mood
  • US
4 3.2

Cheerful and friendly to other people

is a temporary cheerful mood rather than a habitual friendly temper
gladsome
vsin a jolly mood
  • Archaic
1 9.0

Feeling happy and cheerful

is the same cheerful feeling but usually more casual and plain
chappy
vsin a jolly mood
  • UK
1 8.1

Happy and full of energy

is a temporary happy feeling rather than only lively action
beamish
vsin a jolly mood
  • Archaic
1 9.9

Smiling brightly because you feel happy

is the same happiness but focuses on mood not described smiles
lighthearted mood
vsin a jolly mood
3.7

A happy relaxed feeling when people laugh and joke

is a personal happy mood rather than a group relaxed atmosphere
beaming
vsin a jolly mood
2.5

Smiling very widely and looking clearly happy

is the inner happy feeling rather than just a smiling expression

Antonyms

443 1.8

Feeling very unhappy or suffering a lot

29 2.5

Feeling sad and without much hope

How Happy

ecstatic
69 4.5
merry
114 1.0
in a jolly mood
2.8
cheerful
111 1.0
content
87 1.0

Surface Forms

in a jolly mood positive

Morphology

in + a + jolly + mood

The meaning 'feeling cheerful and happy' is directly derivable from the constituents: 'jolly' = cheerful and 'mood' = emotional state, combined with the common pattern 'in a _ mood'. This compositional structure is cross-linguistically common and would be immediately understandable to a B1 learner who knows the individual words.

Etymology

In a jolly mood uses jolly, which means merry or full of cheer, together with mood, meaning a state of feeling. Imagine someone smiling and almost dancing — that picture shows why it means 'feeling cheerful and happy'.