joy
noun
the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure; elation.
joy
1 American
[joi]
/ dʒɔɪ /
noun
-
joys
plural
-
the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure; elation.
She felt the joy of seeing her son's success.
- Synonyms:
- rapture
- Antonyms:
- grief, sorrow, unhappiness, misery
-
a source or cause of keen pleasure or delight; something or someone greatly valued or appreciated.
Her prose style is a pure joy.
-
the expression or display of glad feeling; festive gaiety.
-
a state of happiness or felicity.
- Synonyms:
- bliss
verb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
Joy
2
American
[joi]
/ dʒɔɪ /
Or
Joye
noun
joy
British
/ dʒɔɪ /
noun
-
a deep feeling or condition of happiness or contentment
-
something causing such a feeling; a source of happiness
-
an outward show of pleasure or delight; rejoicing
-
informal success; satisfaction
I went to the bank for a loan, but got no joy
verb
-
(intr) to feel joy
-
obsolete (tr) to make joyful; gladden
joy
Idioms
Synonym Usage
See pleasure.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of joy
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English joy(e), from Old French joie, joye, from Late Latin gaudia, neuter plural (taken as feminine singular) of Latin gaudium “joy,” equivalent to gaud- (base of gaudēre “to be glad”) + -ium -ium
Explanation
Joy is the emotion of pleasure and happiness. Joy can also be the very thing that delights you. You might find great joy in learning new vocabulary. Or not. Joy can also be used as a verb. You can joy in the fact that you have no homework for the weekend. Or, you might want to rejoice when the teacher announces that the test has been canceled. It's a real joy to use the word as an adjective, too. For example, receiving straight A's probably makes you extremely joyful.
Vocabulary lists containing joy
"The Giving Tree"
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Key Words, Unit 5
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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:
“Honestly, I’m so invigorated by and get a sense of joy from writing, I feel more like I’m 24 than 64!”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
When considering relocation options, you get to decide, perhaps for the first time, what climate will bring you the most joy.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026
"But after joy came worry, worry for my wife, because she was still inside, suffering."
From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026
No, you earn the joy of working that discipline brings you.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
I would squeal for joy, but I don’t want to summon the rest of the family.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
Bethany Joy Lenz shared the screen with a young Panettiere in “Guiding Light” and remembered her co-star on Instagram.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
Laura Joy, from the charity, said: "Artwork really gives people a chance to do meaningful activity towards rehabilitation and to support better choices."
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
The station also serves as a broadcast partner to the San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade, the city’s Pride parade, the Oakland Black Joy parade and the Bay to Breakers race.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
Only 20 years after its release did it emerge that, unknown to the film's co-directors John Halas and Joy Bachelor, the production had been funded by the CIA.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
Joy surges through me when I realize that not only do I remember where I am and who she is but also that it’s circus day.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
Given the phrase’s innate poeticism, it’s often used by scholars, authors, casanovas and perhaps overly didactic filmmakers to convey the fleeting intensity of life’s most burning joys.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
Fortunately, I’m healthy enough to travel — one of my greatest joys in this chapter of life.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 23, 2026
A Taco Bell X post last week riffing on the joys of “spiritually sitting in a taco bell parking lot at sunset” was met with poop emojis.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
It’s all she grew up knowing, and these days, it’s where some of her deepest friendships and greatest joys are.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
Despite my youthful joys and sense of safety, the trials my parents faced were unrelenting.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
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.
