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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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"Even when the cause is brutal and the fight fierce," Shah said, "there is joy, laughter, songs and hope. Without those things, protests don't sustain themselves."
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Money is great, but not at the expense of your peace, autonomy and joy.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
When progressive political commentator Keith Edwards recently turned the New York City Pride March into a two-hour livestream of queer joy, he put a name on what he was doing.
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026
It is a dark side to a major sporting event, which should bring joy to everyone.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
She let the bright joy of the season wash her worries away.
From "Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes" by Eleanor Coerr
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
They named Dr. Seuss, Shel Silverstein and Lemony Snicket before moving on to a précis of Joy Williams’ flash fiction.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
“I promise you’re not winning by saving points while your cards are charging upwards of 20% in interest,” Joy says.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
Joy, loyalty, toughness, peacefulness—all of these were part of Storm.
From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen
But rather than fixate on that, might we suggest a few reads about all the joys available to us in this world?
From Slate ● Jul. 1, 2026
"Human consent is not an impediment to progress. Human consent does not diminish the struggles and the joys of technological innovation or inhuman creativity," Blanchett said at the event in the parliament's library.
From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026
He stops shaving, bathing or wearing shoes and begins preaching the joys of simplicity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
One of many joys of “Contrapposto” is observing Cricket’s artistic awakening via the mentors who guide him into his artistic consciousness.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2026
For a moment I knew the intimate and subtle joys of misery.
From "Black Like Me" by John Howard Griffin
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.
