delight
Americannoun
-
delights
plural
-
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)
-
delights,
present (3rd person singular)
-
delighted,
past participle, past
-
delighting
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
delights,
present (3rd person singular)
-
delighted,
past participle, past
-
delighting
present participle
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
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
delightsimple
-
delightssimple
-
have delightedperfect
-
has delightedperfect
-
am delightingprogressive
-
are delightingprogressive
-
is delightingprogressive
-
have been delightingperfect progressive
-
has been delightingperfect progressive
Past
-
delightedsimple
-
had delightedperfect
-
was delightingprogressive
-
were delightingprogressive
-
had been delightingperfect progressive
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
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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.
See Examples For:
Also in the pool, Japanese swimmer Shin Ohashi, himself only 17, smashed the men's 200m breaststroke world record to delight the home crowd.
From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026
These unexpected extras—a few perfume samples or a tchotchke tucked into a shopping bag—aren’t lavish but often produce outsize delight, like when an order of 12 bagels becomes a baker’s dozen.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
The home fans, with split loyalties before the race between Antonelli and Ferrari, screamed with delight as he crossed the line, 60 years since the last time an Italian won his home race.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026
But it’s true and Nick’s delight in tending to his own personal Maverick is sincere.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
“Pancake, of course!” the Incorrigible children exclaimed in delight, smiting their foreheads; how could they have failed to guess?
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
Few delights capture our attention as completely as stories that take joy in the miseries of the mega-rich.
From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2026
Perry and her partner, Canada's former prime minister Justin Trudeau, sampled the delights of Mykonos.
From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026
Starr is criminally sarcastic, and delights in winding people up.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
Ms. Williams delights in the paradoxes of butterfly evolution, including monarch caterpillars’ calibrated resistance to milkweed toxins.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
The early-morning refuge of the bakery delights Lourdes.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
But, in an example of creative recycling, when she asked her painter if he’d like the set, he was delighted to take it away and did.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
I went into the recipe expecting exactly that, was delighted to find it delivered and started experimenting with the same trick in soups of my own.
From Salon ● Oct. 5, 2026
While vast clouds of flying bugs might not be everyone's cup of tea, scientists have been delighted to find that the Bogongs are back.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
As soon as the Dodgers traded for Skubal two months ago, he was delighted to receive a text message from a pitcher who wore the weight of expectations throughout his career.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
On hearing the tale, Don Quixote was delighted.
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
The giant green character, complete with distinctive blue shirt, has become one of the most-loved regulars on the UK ballooning circuit, delighting crowds wherever he lands.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Iran responded in the 64th minute with Rezaeian’s cross headed home by Mohammad Mohebi, tying the game and delighting fans.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
Later, he would stand on stage in Nyon, delighting in the matchups for the Champions League knockout rounds, and then return to his quiet job as UEFA’s general secretary.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
When part of a SpaceX rocket re-entered Earth's atmosphere exactly a year ago, it created a spectacuglar fireball that streaked across Europe's skies, delighting stargazers and sending a team of scientists rushing towards their instruments.
From Barron's ● Feb. 19, 2026
So they both lived, delighting in their own devices, and feared no assault, nor wrath, nor any end of their wickedness.
From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien
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.
