Meaning & use
jolly good
Last updated
Meaning
phrasefixed phraseinformalBritishold-fashioned
Very good; used to express approval, agreement, or satisfaction, especially in a cheerful or enthusiastic way.
Grammar: Used as a standalone response or as an adjective before a noun: a jolly good idea.
Patterns
- jolly good!
- a jolly good something
Jolly good! Let's celebrate with some tea.
That's a jolly good idea; let's do it.
He gave a jolly good speech at the party.
Common combinations
- jolly good show
- They put on a jolly good show for the village fete.
- jolly good fun
- We had a jolly good time at the seaside.
- jolly good fellow
- He's a jolly good fellow, always ready to help.
Synonyms and how they differ
- excellent
- More formal and neutral; 'jolly good' is informal and sounds cheerfully old-fashioned.
- splendid
- Also British and positive, but can sound a bit grander and less casual than 'jolly good'.
- great
- More common in modern English and used in both British and American English; 'jolly good' is distinctly British.
Opposites
Practice
Which sentence uses 'jolly good' in a natural way?
Choose one answer.
'Jolly good' is typically used as a standalone exclamation of approval, as in option 0. Option 1 is possible but less common because 'jolly good' is not usually used to describe weather; option 2 uses 'jolly good' as an adverb phrase, which is not standard; option 3 is not grammatical because 'jolly good' is not a verb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “jolly good”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.