gleeful

[glee-fuhl]

adjective

1. full of exultant joy; merry; delighted.

gleeful

/ ˈɡliːfʊl /

adjective

1. full of glee; merry

Other Word Forms

• gleefully adverb
• gleefulness noun
• ungleeful adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of gleeful¹

First recorded in 1580–90; glee ¹ + -ful

Example Sentences

Then she laughs—a gleeful, inhuman, full-throated laugh that contorts her body into unnatural angles and positions.

Read more on Literature

Video clips from the fateful 1994 rally show Colosio, his curly black hair flecked with confetti, shaking hands and signing autographs as he winds his way through a gleeful political crowd.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

He said that the gleeful way people were talking about families going hungry didn’t sit right with him and pushed back against the idea of widespread fraud among beneficiaries.

Read more on Salon

This detail points to Allen’s gleeful invitation for the listener to peer deeper.

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The song that will almost certainly have everyone talking is “Wood,” a gleeful ode to a partner’s…impressive appendage.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal