joy
noun
the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure; elation.
joy
1 American
[joi]
/ dʒɔɪ /
noun
-
joys
plural
-
the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure; elation.
She felt the joy of seeing her son's success.
- Synonyms:
- rapture
- Antonyms:
- grief, sorrow, unhappiness, misery
-
a source or cause of keen pleasure or delight; something or someone greatly valued or appreciated.
Her prose style is a pure joy.
-
the expression or display of glad feeling; festive gaiety.
-
a state of happiness or felicity.
- Synonyms:
- bliss
verb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
Joy
2
American
[joi]
/ dʒɔɪ /
Or
Joye
noun
joy
British
/ dʒɔɪ /
noun
-
a deep feeling or condition of happiness or contentment
-
something causing such a feeling; a source of happiness
-
an outward show of pleasure or delight; rejoicing
-
informal success; satisfaction
I went to the bank for a loan, but got no joy
verb
-
(intr) to feel joy
-
obsolete (tr) to make joyful; gladden
joy
Idioms
Synonym Usage
See pleasure.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of joy
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English joy(e), from Old French joie, joye, from Late Latin gaudia, neuter plural (taken as feminine singular) of Latin gaudium “joy,” equivalent to gaud- (base of gaudēre “to be glad”) + -ium -ium
Explanation
Joy is the emotion of pleasure and happiness. Joy can also be the very thing that delights you. You might find great joy in learning new vocabulary. Or not. Joy can also be used as a verb. You can joy in the fact that you have no homework for the weekend. Or, you might want to rejoice when the teacher announces that the test has been canceled. It's a real joy to use the word as an adjective, too. For example, receiving straight A's probably makes you extremely joyful.
Vocabulary lists containing joy
"The Giving Tree"
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Key Words, Unit 5
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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.
See Examples For:
The composer often said that his musical career had been an accident, but nothing gave him greater joy than seeing his work come to life.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
"I brought joy to people through food," he said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026
A wildlife cinematographer and shark guide has spoken about the unexpected surprise and joy of seeing a humpback whale in the Celtic Deep just off the Welsh coast.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
Dave Roberts, the Dodgers’ manager, said he could see the joy in Skubal on the day the Dodgers celebrated the division title.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
I step forward onto the dirt, feel the soft grains against my paw pads, and joy spreads through me.
From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz
Joy Thomas said prices were "extraordinarily high" and she had searched for the cheapest petrol station she could find.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
“Depending on where you live,” an income of $100,000 “can be just barely enough or nowhere near it,” said Audrey Emerson, the owner of Cents of Joy Financial Planning in Bellingham, Wash.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
The M/V Trisha Kerstin 3 sank along nearly the same route where 31 people died in 2023 after a fire broke out aboard the Lady Mary Joy 3 ferry.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
None of this was a surprise to Joy Chen of the Eaton Fire Survivors Network.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026
“Far-out,” Joy says after I get all the words right.
From "Lucky Broken Girl" by Ruth Behar
The ubiquity of phones has not only eroded our manners, but also lessened the joys of bar and dining culture.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
Dame Prue Leith is celebrating her perceived joys of the golden years as she prepares to discuss "Growing Old Disgracefully" with fellow authors Gyles Brandreth and Kathy Lette.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
Marquez’s personal journal, which documented her inner joys and struggles over the last year, is also open on a table in the exhibition for guests to read through, draw over, or tear.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
Given the phrase’s innate poeticism, it’s often used by scholars, authors, casanovas and perhaps overly didactic filmmakers to convey the fleeting intensity of life’s most burning joys.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
There was a price to be paid for such joys, though; the deck was hard, and he woke stiff and sore, his legs cramped and aching.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
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.
