GOLLY
What does "GOLLY" mean?
A mild exclamation of surprise, wonder, or emphasis.
Meanings
- An expression of surprise, astonishment, or mild enthusiasm. Golly, I didn't expect to see you here! informal
Word origin
A 19th-century euphemism for 'God', altering the word to avoid taking the holy name in vain - the same minced-oath impulse behind 'gosh' and 'gee'.
Remember it
GOLLY softens 'God' into a giggle - swap the harsh 'd' for two friendly L's and you can say it in front of grandma.
A little poem
A word for wonder, scrubbed of sin,
the awe stays out, the oath stays in.
couplet
What it teaches
We invent gentle words for big feelings when the true name feels too heavy to speak.
Quick facts
What does GOLLY mean?
A mild exclamation of surprise, wonder, or emphasis.
Is GOLLY a valid word?
Yes — GOLLY is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is GOLLY?
GOLLY has 5 letters and 2 syllables.
Where does GOLLY come from?
A 19th-century euphemism for 'God', altering the word to avoid taking the holy name in vain - the same minced-oath impulse behind 'gosh' and 'gee'.
What can GOLLY teach us?
We invent gentle words for big feelings when the true name feels too heavy to speak.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.