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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Together with Joseph Adinolfi, Joy explained how a long-term trading pattern of buying 30-year Treasury bonds whenever yields are close to 5% has worked out well, and how it may play out from here.
From MarketWatch • May 8, 2026
Hence, “The Joy of Painting” enjoyed a vigorous revival during the pandemic’s lockdowns, when hobbies assumed central importance in daily life.
From Salon • May 2, 2026
This year the ceremony will honor “The Joy Luck Club” author Amy Tan with the Robert Kirsch Award for lifetime achievement and We Need Diverse Books with the Innovator’s Award.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026
Billy Idol, chanteuse Sade, metal legends Iron Maiden and Manchester outfits Joy Division and New Order were also honored, along with hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan and velvet-voiced crooner Luther Vandross.
From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026
Before I can ask Mama any more questions, Joy bounces over to us.
From "Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero" by Kelly J. Baptist
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.
