delight

[ dih-lahyt ]

See synonyms for: delight delighted delighting delights on Thesaurus.com

noun

a high degree of pleasure or enjoyment; joy; rapture: She takes great delight in her job.
something that gives great pleasure: The dance was a delight to see.

verb (used with object)

to give great pleasure, satisfaction, or enjoyment to; please highly: The show delighted everyone.

verb (used without object)

to have great pleasure; take pleasure (followed by in or an infinitive): She delights in going for long walks in the country.

Origin of delight

First recorded in 1175–1225; (verb) respelling, after light¹, 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

synonym study For delight

1. See pleasure.

Other words for delight

1	transport, delectation
3	charm, enrapture

See synonyms for delight on Thesaurus.com

Opposites for delight

1	distress
2	disappointment

See antonyms for delight on Thesaurus.com

Other words from delight

de·light·er, noun
de·light·ing·ly, adverb
de·light·less, adjective
self-de·light, noun
un·de·light·ing, adjective

Words Nearby delight

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use delight in a sentence

Loaded with fast-drying archival ink, the Sakura’s Pigma Micron fineliners are simply a delight to work with.
Must-have art supplies to let your inner creative shine | Sandra Gutierrez G. | February 11, 2021 | Popular-Science
As the biggest snowstorm in the region in two years, it brought delight to snow lovers and proved not to be a huge inconvenience.
How an imperfect snowstorm forecast turned out mostly right | Jason Samenow | February 3, 2021 | Washington Post
To me, love for food should be about the appreciation of subtlety, not a delight in savagery.
Gene Weingarten: This hot sauce is a killer | Gene Weingarten | January 21, 2021 | Washington Post
Particularly during the colder months, I love employing this method to turn tough cuts of meat into silken morsels of pure delight.
How to braise vegetables and bring out their best flavors | Aaron Hutcherson | January 11, 2021 | Washington Post
Despite that it leans a bit toward wordiness and could have used maybe one less caper, “The Big Tow” is a true delight – but not for the reasons you might think.
‘Big Tow’ has action, humor, and a lesbian romance | Terri Schlichenmeyer | December 11, 2020 | Washington Blade

His surprise marriage to theater director Sophie Hunter may have broken hearts, but the squeals of delight were even louder.
All Your Internet Boyfriends Are Taken: Gosling, Cumberbatch, and now Joseph Gordon-Levitt | Melissa Leon | January 3, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
Then they sat down at the dinner table and ate with delight.
In New Brothers Grimm 'Snow White', The Prince Doesn't Save Her | The Brothers Grimm | November 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
One gets the impression that God would take great delight in letting them go.
Ebola, ISIS, the Border: So Much to Fear, So Little Time! | Gene Robinson | November 2, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
But I also want jazz to be loved and enjoyed, to serve as a source of enchantment and delight.
What’s With This Uncool Surge in Jazz Bashing? | Ted Gioia | November 2, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Our brains and bodies delight in the sweet stuff, in the same way we might respond to a drug, causing us to want more and more.
Are Artificial Sweeteners Wrecking Your Diet? | DailyBurn | September 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
He held it, but it was without pressure; without recognizance of the delight with which he once grasped it.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4 | Jane Porter
Terror drives you on; fate coerces you; you can't help yourself, and my delight is to make the plunge terrible.
Checkmate | Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
Louis listened with pleasure, and dwelt with delight on the interesting Princess and her son.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4 | Jane Porter
It was her delight to mingle politics and chivalric devotion, in their long conferences.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4 | Jane Porter
The morning we started was one of those perfect autumnal days when it is a delight simply to live.
Music-Study in Germany | Amy Fay

British Dictionary definitions for delight

delight

/ (dɪˈlaɪt) /

verb

(tr) to please greatly
(intr foll by in) to take great pleasure (in)

noun

extreme pleasure or satisfaction; joy
something that causes this: music was always his delight

Origin of delight

C13: from Old French delit, from deleitier to please, from Latin dēlectāre, from dēlicere to allure, from de- + lacere to entice; see delicious; English spelling influenced by light

Derived forms of delight

delighter, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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