adjective

gregarious

/ɡrɪˈɡɛriəs/ · say it: grih·GAIR·ee·uhs

fond of company; sociable

In Sophisticated Everyday

sociable and fond of company

In Personality & Character

In more detail

1. (adjective) enjoying being with other people; fond of being in company

2. (adjective) living or moving in groups or flocks, rather than alone

Examples

1. She's very gregarious and loves going to parties with her friends.
2. Sheep are gregarious animals and stay together in flocks.

How to use gregarious

Gregarious describes a preference for social company in people or a natural tendency to live in groups in animals and birds. It is more formal and slightly literary than sociable, and often suggests an instinctive or inherent quality rather than mere enjoyment. The term is frequently used in biological and ecological contexts to describe species behavior.

Common phrases

gregarious by nature
gregarious instinct
gregarious animals
gregarious species
gregarious tendency

Synonyms

sociable · social · outgoing · convivial · clubby

Opposites

solitary · antisocial · reclusive

Word family

gregariously (adverb) · gregariousness (noun)

A common mistake

Learners sometimes confuse gregarious with gregarious meaning 'excessively common or widespread' (which is actually the sense of 'gregarious' in some older or technical usage), but in modern English the word primarily means social or group-oriented.

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