genial
Friendly, kind and cheerful.
genial in a sentence
- The genial shopkeeper greeted every customer with a joke and a smile.
- Our genial bus driver waves at everyone and always has a cheerful word for the schoolchildren.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to genial?
- Ahostile
- Bfriendly
- Cgrumpy
- Dcold
Show the answer
B: friendly. The other three mean the opposite of genial.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to genial?
- Afriendly
- Bkind
- Cgrumpy
- Dwarm
Show the answer
C: grumpy. The other three mean nearly the same as genial.
Words that mean something similar
friendly, kind, warm
Words that mean the opposite
grumpy, cold, hostile
More words about character & personality
- genuine: Real and true, not fake.
- grave: Very serious and important.
- gregarious: Enjoying the company of other people, or living in groups.
- gullible: Too ready to believe whatever you are told.
- hardy: Strong and able to cope with difficult conditions.
- haughty: Acting as if you are better than everyone else.
- headstrong: Determined to do what you want and refusing to listen.
- hearty: Warm, cheerful and full of energy.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test