delightful
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of delightful
Explanation
Anything delightful causes pleasure or joy. For most people, watching a puppy play is delightful. Delight is a strong positive emotion. We feel delight when something entertains or pleases us very much. Such things can be called delightful. After weeks of cold weather, a sunny day is delightful. Making a new friend is delightful. Going to see an exciting or hilarious movie is delightful. A good cup of coffee can be delightful. This word can apply to almost anything you enjoy a lot. People who find lots of things delightful are generally pretty happy.
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.
The fact that it came out following scores of delightful social media posts made by awestruck international visitors who crisscrossed the country to enjoy the World Cup doesn’t help.
From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026
Mr. Statham, a not infrequently delightful actor whose main weakness is an inability to say no to mediocre projects, undertakes the usual heroic killing spree in “Mutiny,” a brief, reasonably compelling but shamelessly workmanlike feature.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
It’s super weird, very meta and utterly delightful.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 31, 2026
A solo show that Greenspan himself performed at Atlantic Theatre Company, this eccentric play was one of the most unexpectedly delightful works I read all year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
Prior to this first weekend in the country, my recollections of that fall are distant and blurry: from here on out, they come into a sharp, delightful focus.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
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.
