grə̇ˈga(a)rēəs, grēˈ-, -ˈger-, -ˈgār- adjective
Etymology: Latin gregarius of or relating to a herd or flock, from greg-, grex herd, flock + -arius -ary; akin to Old Irish graig herd of horses, Greek ageirein to collect, agora assembly, Lithuanian gurgulỹs thickening
1.
a. : marked by an inclination to associate with others of one's kind : tending to live in a flock, herd, or community rather than alone
fowl are gregarious
man is a gregarious animal, living in flocks with his kind, in order to face the common foe — Emil Brunner
b. : characteristic of or common throughout a group, flock, or community
gregarious alarm at the intrusion
2. : marked by an instinctive or temperamental preference for a social rather than a solitary existence : wanting to be with others and disliking much solitude
the American is sociable and gregarious : he does not like solitariness or the solitudes — W.L.Sperry
3.
a. of a plant : growing in a cluster or a colony
b. : living in a community or in contiguous nests but not forming a true colony — used especially of solitary wasps and bees
Synonyms: see social