gregarious
gri-GAIR-ee-uhs
/ɡrɪˈɡeəriəs/
Fond of company; highly sociable; living in flocks or communities.
Describes a natural, instinctual love for being around other people and crowds. It is a personality trait, whereas 'convivial' is more about festive behavior.
The story behind the word. From the Latin 'gregarius' ('belonging to a flock'), from 'grex' ('flock, herd'). It originally described animals that lived in herds before shifting to describe humans who thrive in social groups.
Word relationships
- sociable: Sociable means friendly and willing to talk, while gregarious implies a much stronger, almost compulsive desire to be surrounded by crowds.
- outgoing: Outgoing is a common, informal term for friendly behavior, while gregarious is more formal and can also apply biologically to animal herds.
- solitary: Done or existing alone; avoiding the company of others.
- introverted: Shy, quiet, and preferring to spend time alone or in very small groups.
Commonly confused with
- garrulous: Garrulous means excessively talkative, especially on trivial matters, whereas gregarious simply means loving the company of others, regardless of how much one talks.
Word family
- gregariously (adverb): In a highly social or flock-like manner.
- gregariousness (noun): The state of being highly social and fond of company.
Collocations
- gregarious personality
- gregarious nature
- gregarious species
- naturally gregarious
Idioms & expressions
- social butterfly
Example sentences
- "As a gregarious teenager, Leo loved hosting large parties and hated spending weekend nights alone." Describing an outgoing personality.
- "Sheep are highly gregarious animals that become extremely stressed if separated from the flock." Scientific use describing animal behavior.
Memory hook
Think of a guy named 'Greg' who is always surrounded by 'various' friends at parties. Gregarious Greg loves to gather with the flock.
When not to use
Do not use to describe someone who is merely polite or cooperative; a gregarious person actively craves and seeks out social contact.
Fun facts
- The root 'grex' also gives us 'segregate' (to set apart from the flock), 'congregate' (to gather into a flock), and 'egregious' (originally meaning standing out from the flock in a good way, though now it means outstandingly bad).
Related words
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