joyful
Americanadjective
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full of joy, as a person or one's heart; glad; delighted.
- Antonyms:
- melancholy
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showing or expressing joy, as looks, actions, or speech.
-
causing or bringing joy, as an event, a sight, or news; delightful.
the joyful announcement of their marriage.
adjective
-
full of joy; elated
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expressing or producing joy
a joyful look
a joyful occasion
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of joyful
Explanation
Someone who's joyful is very happy. A joyful child will laugh with delight. When you experience the feeling of joy, you're joyful. For many people, their wedding day, the birth of their children, or simply a beautiful summer afternoon can all be joyful occasions. To be joyful is beyond being happy — there is delight and a kind of bliss involved in feeling joyful. The noun joy is at the root of joyful, from the Old French joie with its Latin root of gaudere, "rejoice."
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.
Joyful chaos reigned when AFP met them in their small apartment at the end of September.
From Barron's • Oct. 21, 2025
"The musicians who get my stuff, who are excited to hold a Wicked Joyful in their hands, they know it's my artwork, they know it's mine," he said.
From BBC • Apr. 18, 2025
Ultimately, Hargitay told Gomez, while “SVU” empowered her to raise awareness about sexual assault, Joyful Heart enabled her to “do something” about it.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 25, 2024
But Kartes is familiar closer to home for the “Rustic Joyful Food” site that the local resident has run for years, since closing her Tacoma restaurant, Minoela, after a difficult pregnancy.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 5, 2023
“Even if Joyful Dog Walkers doesn’t open up again, I’m glad we did it.”
From "A Soft Place to Land" by Janae Marks
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.
