gezellig

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Dutch gezellig.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡəˈzɛlɪɡ/
• (semi-learned) IPA^(key): /həˈzɛlə/, /hɛ-/, /-lɪk/
• (learned) IPA^(key): /xəˈzɛlə/, /xəˈzɛləx/

Adjective

gezellig (comparative more gezellig or gezelliger, superlative most gezellig or gezelligest)

1. Having a pleasant, cozy, or sociable atmosphere; inviting and convivial. [late 20th c.]
   • 1996, Loren Barritt, “Chapter 8. School Should be Gezellig”, in An Elementary School in Holland: Experiment in Educational Practice‎^[1], International Books, pages 160–178:

     The Team's collective sense of responsibility was expended in the effort to create a gezellig environment for the children and one another. … This list is typical of the insight the Team had into the learnings buried inside the expressive arts they fostered. Though they talked often of their desire to maintain a gezellig environment in the school, and took great pain as well as pleasure in doing it, the goal of gezelligheid served other ends as well.

   • 2014 March 25, Barack Obama, “Press Conference with President Obama and Prime Minister Rutte of the Netherlands”, in The White House‎^[2]‎^[3]:

     I’m told there’s a Dutch word that captures this spirit, which doesn’t translate exactly into English. But let me say that my first visit to the Netherlands has been truly gezellig.

   • 2024 July 14, “Always a winner - Review of Meneer De Wit Heeft Honger, Amsterdam, The Netherlands”, in Tripadvisor‎^[4]:

     Consistently excellent and inventive food in a very relaxed and gezellig environment.

Usage notes

Not in general use; evokes something considered quintessentially Dutch or having an "untranslatable" or "intangible" quality.

See also

• hygge
• koselig

Dutch

Alternative forms

• (informal, slang) gezel, gezellie

Etymology

From Middle Dutch gesellich, equivalent to gezel +‎ -ig. Cognate with German gesellig.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɣəˈzɛ.ləx/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: ge‧zel‧lig

Adjective

gezellig (comparative gezelliger, superlative gezelligst)

1. having an inviting and friendly ambiance; cozy, nice, pleasant, sociable, convivial
   • 1760, “Groot-Britannie”, in Middelburgsche courant, number 21, page 1:

     Voor 7 jaren werd hy van eene beroerte aangetast, doch herſtelde in 6 weken, en behield alleen een weinig belemmering in de ſpraak, het welk zyn onderhoud moejelyker maakte; doch hy bleef even gezellig.

     Seven years ago he suffered a stroke, yet he recovered in 6 weeks, and retained only a small impediment in his speech, which made his basic needs difficult to fulfill; yet he stayed just as pleasant.

   • 1899, “Zuipreglement”, in Het volksdagblad, number 1110, page 2:

     En het is niet behoorlijk door dwang het gezellig samenzijn te doen ontaarden in ruwe zuipgelagen, waarbij de groenen als lijken moeten worden weggedragen.

     And it is not proper to turn a cozy get-together by force into a crude drinking party, where greenhorns have to be carried away like corpses.

   • 1966, “Snippers”, in De nieuwe Limburger, number 181, page 5:

     In de lokalen van het WMC-secretariaat is het reuze gezellig. Daar draaien meisjes plaatjes tijdens het werk en denken stoute jongetjes grappige plannetjes uit.

     It's very sociable in the offices of the WMC secretariat. There, girls listen to records during worktime and the naughty boys think of funny plans.

2. (archaic, of a person) inclined to seek the company of others

Declension

Declension of gezellig
uninflected	gezellig
inflected	gezellige
comparative	gezelliger
		positive	comparative	superlative
predicative/adverbial		gezellig	gezelliger	het gezelligst het gezelligste
indefinite	m./f. sing.	gezellige	gezelligere	gezelligste
	n. sing.	gezellig	gezelliger	gezelligste
	plural	gezellige	gezelligere	gezelligste
definite		gezellige	gezelligere	gezelligste
partitive		gezelligs	gezelligers	—

Derived terms

• gezelligheid
• ongezellig

Descendants

• Afrikaans: gesellig
• → Papiamentu: gezellig
• → English: gezellig

References

• Matthias de Vries, Lambert Allard te Winkel (1864) “gezellig”, in Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal, published 2001