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:
Inspired by ecstatic nights at music festivals, it rejects anxiety in favour of what Bono calls "defiant joy".
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
Those wins are not small, and the people who did the work to make them real earned every bit of the joy.
From Salon ● Nov. 5, 2026
Supporters cried tears of joy and hugged each other, sharing political news of the city and also the country, as the energy in the crowd further amped up seemingly every half hour.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026
Instead of the formal post-midterms remarks that previous presidents have made, the 80-year-old announced that he was there to sign the final steel beam going into the roof of his $400 million pride and joy.
From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2026
At camp that night there’s no joy, no chatter.
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
"We are the ones who walk the territory and warn of imminent risks," said Jose Joy Martenorio, CRIC's political coordinator.
From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2026
Institutions’ scale means they pay smaller fees as a share of investment, said Joy, the investment adviser.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
When I was a kid, I used to read “The Joy of Cooking” and imagine the elaborate parties I would someday throw for the friends I was certain adulthood would bring me.
From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2026
Joy Thomas said prices were "extraordinarily high" and she had searched for the cheapest petrol station she could find.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
Again I feel so thankful to have Joy as my teacher.
From "Lucky Broken Girl" by Ruth Behar
Los Javis use the stories to tell the tale of a brutal war that divided Spain and left deep scars, and the story of the joys and hardships of ordinary men turned into soldiers.
From Barron's ● Oct. 24, 2026
"One of the joys of my character was how strong and feisty she is: she had the upper hand over the men, for the most part," she told the Guardian, external in 2018.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
The ubiquity of phones has not only eroded our manners, but also lessened the joys of bar and dining culture.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
Neeleman also vocally refutes the idea of being a tradwife while, for example, showcasing the joys of making homemade cheese while an infant is strapped to her.
From Salon ● Sep. 12, 2026
“Me loves Parpar,” said the artful one, preparing to climb the paternal knee and revel in forbidden joys.
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
