jelly

1 of 3

noun

jel·​ly ˈje-lē How to pronounce jelly (audio)
plural jellies
1
: a soft somewhat elastic food product made usually with gelatin or pectin
especially : a fruit product made by boiling sugar and the juice of fruit
2
: a substance resembling jelly in consistency
3
4
: a state of fear or irresolution
5
: a shapeless structureless mass : pulp
jellylike adjective

jelly

2 of 3

verb

jellied; jellying

intransitive verb

1
: jell
2
: to make jelly

transitive verb

: to bring to the consistency of jelly

jelly

3 of 3

adjective

slang
: jealous
"I'm jelly," declared Jon Osborne of Pardi's white, sparkly jacket, complete with flowers …Taylor Weatherby

Examples of jelly in a Sentence

Noun a selection of different jellies and jams He spread some jelly on his toast. a jar of grape jelly a peanut butter and jelly sandwich a meat glaze made with stock and jelly Verb this fruit juice is taking longer to jelly than I expected
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Instead of selecting a bright color like traditional jelly nails, Bieber opted for a nude shade that combines the transparent shine of jelly nails with the glossy look of lip-gloss nails. Allegra Isert, Glamour, 30 Apr. 2025 That’s followed by rich caramel, cinnamon, grape jelly, orange marmalade, and toasted coconut on the palate, with a final flurry of menthol and red hots on the finish. Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 27 Apr. 2025
Verb
The depths are a swirl of tapioca, agar-agar and basil seeds like a hundred tiny eyes, jellied on the outside with a crunch within. Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 24 May 2018 From here, the longest run in the region is a leg-jellying 15 kilometer, 2,000-meter descent back down to Gaislachkogl. CNN, 26 Oct. 2017
Adjective
The last person standing from each team would win individual immunity, and the last person standing overall would win peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the tribe, and more importantly, the second slot at tribal council. Emily Deletter, USA Today, 18 Apr. 2025 Glass nails are meant to add a reflective mirror quality to nails, which can be captured with glazed, pearly, cat-eye, or jelly nail colors that give a little something extra to your usual neutral or other go-to shades. Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 21 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for jelly

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English gelly, from Anglo-French gelee, from feminine of gelé, past participle of geler to freeze, congeal, from Latin gelare — more at cold

Adjective

jeal(ous) + -y entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1590, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Adjective

1931, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of jelly was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Jelly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jelly. Accessed 5 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

jelly

1 of 2 noun
jel·​ly ˈjel-ē How to pronounce jelly (audio)
plural jellies
1
: a food with a soft elastic consistency due usually to gelatin or pectin
especially : a fruit product made by boiling sugar and the juice of fruit
2
: a substance resembling jelly
jellylike adjective

jelly

2 of 2 verb
jellied; jellying

Medical Definition

jelly

noun
jel·​ly ˈjel-ē How to pronounce jelly (audio)
plural jellies
1
: a soft somewhat elastic food product made usually with gelatin or pectin
especially : a fruit product made by boiling sugar and the juice of fruit
2
: a substance resembling jelly in consistency: as
a
: a transparent elastic gel
b
: a semisolid medicated or cosmetic preparation often having a gum base and usually intended for local application
ephedrine jelly
c
: a jellylike preparation used in electrocardiography to obtain better conduction of electricity
electrode jelly

More from Merriam-Webster on jelly

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