delight
Americannoun
-
a high degree of pleasure or enjoyment; joy; rapture.
She takes great delight in her job.
- Synonyms:
- delectation, transport
- Antonyms:
- distress
-
something that gives great pleasure.
The dance was a delight to see.
- Antonyms:
- disappointment
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
verb
-
(tr) to please greatly
-
to take great pleasure (in)
noun
-
extreme pleasure or satisfaction; joy
-
something that causes this
music was always his delight
Related Words
See pleasure.
Other Word Forms
- delighter noun
- delightingly adverb
- delightless adjective
- self-delight noun
- undelighting adjective
Etymology
Origin of delight
First recorded in 1175–1225; (verb) respelling, after light 1, of earlier delite, Middle English deliten, from Anglo-French deliter, Old French delitier, from Latin delectāre ( delectable ); (noun) respelling (as above) of Middle English delit, from Anglo-French, Old French, derivative of the verb
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
There’s a great scene where Frank exposes his unbeating heart to her and gets rejected, yet he laughs with delight because the Bride’s stubborn spirit is exactly what he likes about her.
From Los Angeles Times
I had to be just like Etty, smiling without a care in the world, walking through the gates as if I was entitled to enjoy the delights of the park beyond them.
From Literature
“I was delighted,” he says, when Mero told him about the stage.
From Los Angeles Times
Murphy, who delighted fans with a walkabout in Centenary Square on his arrival at Symphony Hall, paid tribute to the viewers who helped catapult Peaky Blinders into a worldwide hit.
From BBC
Jordan's win on Sunday is further evidence of how much support there is for Sinners, and it was telling just how delighted Viola Davis and Samuel L Jackson were to announce the film's two wins.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
