genial

English

Etymology 1

From Middle French génial, from Latin geniālis (“of or pertaining to marriage; festive, genial”), from genius (“guardian spirit”) + -ālis.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈdʒiːnɪəl/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʒinjəl/, /-ni.əl/

• Audio (GA)

  (file)

• Rhymes: (Received Pronunciation) -iːnɪəl
• Hyphenation: ge‧ni‧al

Adjective

genial (comparative more genial, superlative most genial)

1. Friendly and cheerful.
2. (especially of weather) Pleasantly mild and warm.
3. Marked by genius.
   • 1826, Julius Hare, Guesses at Truth by Two Brothers:

     Men of genius have so often attacht the highest value to their less genial works.

   • 2003, Laura Fermi, Gilberto Bernardini, Galileo and the Scientific Revolution, Courier Dover Publications, page 111:

     About fifty years later, in 1675, the Danish astronomer Ole Roemer (1644-1710) had the genial idea of using astronomical rather than terrestrial distances.

4. (archaic) Contributing to, or concerned in, propagation or production; generative; procreative; productive.
   • 1749, [John Cleland], “(Please specify the letter or volume)”, in Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure [Fanny Hill], London: G. Fenton  , →OCLC:

     The well breath'd youth, hot-mettled, and flush with genial juices, was now fairly in for making me know my driver.

   • 1667, John Milton, “Book VII”, in Paradise Lost. , London: [Samuel Simmons], , →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: , London: Basil Montagu Pickering , 1873, →OCLC:

     the genial bed

   • 1700, [John] Dryden, Fables Ancient and Modern; , London: Jacob Tonson, , →OCLC:

     Creator Venus, genial power of love.

5. (obsolete) Belonging to one's genius or natural character; native; natural; inborn.
   • 1650, Thomas Browne, Pseudodoxia Epidemica: , 2nd edition, London: A Miller, for Edw Dod and Nath Ekins, , →OCLC:

     natural incapacity and genial indisposition

Derived terms

• congenial

Related terms

Translations

Etymology 2

From Ancient Greek γένειον (géneion, “chin”) + -al.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /dʒɪˈnʌɪəl/, /-ˈniːəl/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /d͡ʒəˈnaɪəl/, /-ˈni.əl/
• Rhymes: (General American) -aɪəl
• Hyphenation: ge‧ni‧al

Adjective

genial (not comparable)

1. (anatomy) Relating to the chin; genian.

Anagrams

• Eaglin, Ealing, Neglia, igneal, linage

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin geniālis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic)
• IPA^(key): (Valencian)

Adjective

genial m or f (masculine and feminine plural genials)

1. genius
2. brilliant, great

Derived terms

• genialment

Related terms

• geni
• genialitat

Further reading

• “genial” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

German

Etymology

Shortening of earlier genialisch.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡeˈni̯aːl/

• Audio (Austria)

  (file)

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aːl

Adjective

genial (strong nominative masculine singular genialer, comparative genialer, superlative am genialsten)

1. genius, ingenious, genial (in the sense of genius)
2. (colloquial) excellent

   Synonyms: klasse, hervorragend

Declension

Derived terms

• kongenial

Further reading

• “genial” in Duden online
• “genial” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Latin genialis.

Adjective

genial (neuter singular genialt, definite singular and plural geniale)

1. ingenious, brilliant

Related terms

• geni

References

• “genial” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Latin genialis.

Adjective

genial (neuter singular genialt, definite singular and plural geniale)

1. ingenious, brilliant

Related terms

• geni

References

• “genial” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Portuguese

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: (Portugal) -al, (Brazil) -aw
• Hyphenation: ge‧ni‧al

Adjective

genial m or f (plural geniais)

1. genial (marked by genius)
2. genius (very clever)

Derived terms

• genialmente

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French génial.

Adjective

genial m or n (feminine singular genială, masculine plural geniali, feminine and neuter plural geniale)

1. (literally) ingenious, characteristic of a genius
2. (informal) great, fantastic, awesome

Declension

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin geniālis (“of or relating to marriage; festive, genial”), from genius (“guardian spirit”) + -ālis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /xeˈnjal/
• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: ge‧nial

Adjective

genial m or f (masculine and feminine plural geniales)

1. genial, pleasant
2. great, cool, neat

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:guay

3. splendid, gorgeous

   Synonym: espléndido

4. ingenious

   Synonym: ingenioso

Derived terms

Related terms

Further reading

• “genial”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014

Swedish

Adjective

genial (comparative genialare, superlative genialast)

1. brilliant, "genius"

   Synonym: genialisk

   en genial lösning

   a brilliant solution

Declension

See also

• sinnrik (“ingenious”)

References

• genial in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• genial in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• genial in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)