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.
Some autumnal ale: It can be delightful when craft breweries churn out seasonally inspired flavors, but what happens when we start being served pumpkin beer in August, or Christmas beer before Halloween?
From Slate ● Oct. 14, 2026
Spoiler alert: One awards-season shoo-in is Julianne Moore winning every lead actress prize for her bravura work in this delightful Jesse Eisenberg comedy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
It was delightful, calming, efficient, respectful and actionable.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026
"I have learnt so much, I have met people all around the world, and it has been delightful," she said.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
Barbra cried, as if they’d run into each other at a party and it was all a delightful coincidence.
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
