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.
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.
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
(intr) to feel joy
obsolete (tr) to make joyful; gladden
See pleasure.
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
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.
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“If the answers are honest and you can afford it without destabilizing yourself, have the best time and go! Don’t let anyone guilt you out of joy you’ve budgeted for,” she told MarketWatch.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 12, 2026
These days, they are joined by soldiers in search of a moment of carefree joy, respite from the heat—and the fighting.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026
Isabella, 16, was described on the fundraising platform as a “bright, beautiful soul who brought joy, laughter, and love to everyone who knew her” and had a “future full of hopes and dreams.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 12, 2026
While the audience freaked out with joy, she brought her fiancé, 26-year-old right-wing writer Vance Voetberg, on stage.
From Salon • Jun. 12, 2026
She had this look on her face—relief and joy.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
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.
