delightful
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- delightfully adverb
- delightfulness noun
- undelightful adjective
- undelightfully adverb
Etymology
Origin of delightful
Explanation
Anything delightful causes pleasure or joy. For most people, watching a puppy play is delightful. Delight is a strong positive emotion. We feel delight when something entertains or pleases us very much. Such things can be called delightful. After weeks of cold weather, a sunny day is delightful. Making a new friend is delightful. Going to see an exciting or hilarious movie is delightful. A good cup of coffee can be delightful. This word can apply to almost anything you enjoy a lot. People who find lots of things delightful are generally pretty happy.
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.
Then she shares a delightful, fact-based piece of trivia like, “Hey, did you know that rats giggle when you tickle them?”
From Salon • Apr. 5, 2026
The narrator’s mishandling of his cellphone reprises the author’s delightful affinity for physical slapstick.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026
"It just seems so whimsical and delightful to be able to do that."
From BBC • Mar. 28, 2026
Adès, who has his own unpredictably whimsical side, conducts as though he had written the score himself and shares his pleasure with every delightful effect.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026
The bath was the most delightful, the food the most delicious, she had ever enjoyed.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
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.
