delight
Americannoun
-
a high degree of pleasure or enjoyment; joy; rapture.
She takes great delight in her job.
- Synonyms:
- delectation, transport
- Antonyms:
- distress
-
something that gives great pleasure.
The dance was a delight to see.
- Antonyms:
- disappointment
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
verb
-
(tr) to please greatly
-
to take great pleasure (in)
noun
-
extreme pleasure or satisfaction; joy
-
something that causes this
music was always his delight
Synonym Usage
See pleasure.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
have delightedperfect
-
has delightedperfect 3rd person singular
-
am delightingprogressive 1st person singular
-
are delightingprogressive
-
has been delightingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
-
have been delightingperfect progressive
-
is delightingprogressive 3rd person singular
-
delightingparticiple
-
delightssingular 3rd person
Past
-
had delightedperfect
-
had been delightingperfect progressive
-
was delightingprogressive singular
-
delightedparticiple
-
delightedsimple
-
were delightingprogressive plural
Future
Etymology
Origin of delight
First recorded in 1175–1225; (verb) respelling, after light 1, of earlier delite, Middle English deliten, from Anglo-French deliter, Old French delitier, from Latin delectāre ( see delectable); (noun) respelling (as above) of Middle English delit, from Anglo-French, Old French, derivative of the verb
Explanation
When you like someone, you might say, "She is an absolute delight." You mean you think she's great: a delight is a source of joy, and to delight is to cause pleasure. Babies are particularly good at expressing delight in new things. Delight is often associated with an initial impression—one says, "She continues to delight us," to suggest that the first impression continues. The word delight derives from the Latin delectare "to charm," which also gives us delectable, and the same lighthearted sense of pure, uncomplicated pleasure.
Vocabulary lists containing delight
Words inspired by "Inside Out"
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Beowulf vocabulary
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Enjoy! Synonyms for "Pleasure"
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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.
The floribunda rose has coral-pink blooms with a scent of Turkish Delight and mango.
From BBC • May 9, 2025
The 90s juice brand Sunny Delight never really recovered from the controversy of orange-stained Sunny D kids.
From Salon • Jan. 20, 2025
Delight is always underrated at the Oscars, which is why we haven’t heard much about Glen Powell’s hilarious star turn in Richard Linklater’s “Hit Man,” easily one of the most enjoyable movies of the year.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 11, 2024
The case stems from $2 billion Rybolovlev spent from 2002 to 2014 to acquire a world-class art collection through purchases by two of his companies: Accent Delight International Limited and Xitrans Finance Limited.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 8, 2024
“The dwarfs ride them. Delight the guests at your next feast or use them for a folly.”
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.
