delighted
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
- delightedly adverb
- delightedness noun
- quasi-delighted adjective
- quasi-delightedly adverb
- undelighted adjective
- undelightedly adverb
Etymology
Origin of delighted
Explanation
You can use the adjective delighted to describe being really pleased or happy with something. Maybe you would be "stoked" about getting backstage passes to a concert, while someone getting backstage passes to the symphony would be delighted. Delighted might be a slightly old-fashioned way to show excitement or enthusiasm, or maybe it's a more refined way to express how you feel. Saying, "Oh, I'm so delighted you decided to come!" was once a common way to show how happy you were to see a friend. More contemporary uses might be sarcastic, like when you hand your mom an armload of stinky gym clothes without a "Please" and she says "I'll be delighted to wash these for you!"
Vocabulary lists containing delighted
In the Mood? 100 Words to Describe Emotions
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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.
Staffordshire commissioner Ben Adams said he was delighted at Hickmott's appointment.
From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026
Einbinder, 30, said it has been nice to grow alongside her character, and she was delighted with how it all fit together.
From Barron's • Apr. 6, 2026
And Ceawlin Thynn, the 8th Marquess of Bath, said they were "delighted to have it" at Longleat.
From BBC • Apr. 5, 2026
"I am delighted that the different types of analyses we did converged on very similar results, suggesting that language change must be a central component in explaining universals."
From Science Daily • Apr. 5, 2026
“If you can think of anything,” he said, “I’d be delighted to hear it.”
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
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.
