gregarious

gregarious
adjective
gre·;gar·;i·;ous gri-;ger-;-;s
Synonyms of gregarious
1
a
: tending to associate with others of one's kind : social
gregarious animals
b
: marked by or indicating a liking for companionship : sociable
is friendly, outgoing, and gregarious
c
: of or relating to a social group
2
a
of a plant : growing in a cluster or a colony
b
: living in contiguous nests but not forming a true colony —used especially of wasps and bees
gregariously adverb
gregariousness noun

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Did you know?
Everyone knows that birds of a feather flock together, so it comes as no surprise that gregarious was applied mainly to animals when it first began appearing in English texts in the 17th century. After all, gregarious comes from the Latin noun grex, meaning “flock” or “herd,” and it’s tough to avoid being social when you’re part of a flock, flying and roosting cheek by jowl (or beak) with your fellow feathered friends. Take starlings, for example, which congregate in massive numbers—we define the word starling as “any of a family of usually dark gregarious birds,” meaning that starlings are inclined to associate with others of their kind. By the 18th century gregarious was being used to describe social human beings as well, be they chatty Cathys or convivial Connors who relish being in the company of others.

Synonyms
boon
clubbable
clubable
clubby
companionable
convivial
extroverted
extraverted
outgoing
sociable
social
Examples of gregarious in a Sentence
[J.P.] Morgan was attracted to bright, self-possessed women who met him on his own ground, felt at home in society, and shared his gregarious instincts and sybaritic tastes.
—Jean Strouse, New Yorker, 29 Mar. 1999
… the gregarious trade unionist whose back-slapping mateyness helped make him Australia's most popular politician.
—Time, 3 Apr. 1989
As it is a night of many parties, the more social, the more gregarious, the more invited of the guests are wondering whether to go to Harley Street first, or whether to arrive there later, after sampling other offerings.
—Margaret Drabble, Harper's, July 1987
She is outgoing and gregarious.
a gregarious child who ran up to every person on the playground and wanted to be their friend
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Appoint An Engaging, Gregarious Leader To Host Select an engaging and gregarious leader in your organization to be the host of these meetings.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2025
The lawyer who normally practices in New York is gregarious, quick with a joke and always happy to talk to the media, but can be ruthless in cross-examination.
—Andrew Dalton, Chicago Tribune, 18 Jan. 2025
Matthews isn’t necessarily the most gregarious or outgoing Leaf.
—Joshua Kloke, The Athletic, 8 Jan. 2025
Small wonder the fantasy of rising above all of that through marrying Ivan — a unicorn customer who’s young, handsome, wealthy, gregarious, and spontaneous — would beckon to the otherwise pragmatic Ani.
—Lily Burana, Rolling Stone, 4 Nov. 2024

Word History
Etymology
Latin gregarius of a flock or herd, from greg-, grex flock, herd

First Known Use
1668, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of gregarious was in 1668