Synonyms

gleeful

American

[glee-fuhl] / ˈgli fəl /

adjective

full of exultant joy; merry; delighted.

gleeful British

/ ˈɡliːfʊl /

adjective

full of glee; merry

"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

Other Word Forms

gleefully adverb
gleefulness noun
ungleeful adjective

Etymology

Origin of gleeful

First recorded in 1580–90; glee ¹ + -ful

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.

“This is a ball team,” said Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh, gleeful after his team won for the sixth time in seven games.

From Los Angeles Times

It is replaced by gleeful boos and screams of laughter at a beautifully timed 6-7 reference.

From BBC

Then she laughs—a gleeful, inhuman, full-throated laugh that contorts her body into unnatural angles and positions.

From Literature

Video clips from the fateful 1994 rally show Colosio, his curly black hair flecked with confetti, shaking hands and signing autographs as he winds his way through a gleeful political crowd.

From Los Angeles Times

He said that the gleeful way people were talking about families going hungry didn’t sit right with him and pushed back against the idea of widespread fraud among beneficiaries.

From Salon

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023