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:
"Thank you so much for paving the way," Londoner Dubois wrote on X. "Wishing you happiness, success and joy for this next season."
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
The result is pure, rich excess — a fashion documentary unlike any other, that manages to capture the transient joy and whimsy of an era where fashion was allowed to be, dare I say, fun.
From Salon ● Sep. 5, 2026
She advocated for joy and communality as essential parts of any movement, and was especially inspired by the 1977 National Women’s Conference in Houston.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
But the real exhilarating and exultant joy is that of the chase — two very different men forced on the run.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
“Those buildings are the pride and joy of the Cherokee Nation,” he said.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
Joy Chen, an Altadena resident who leads a group for survivors of the 2025 Eaton Fire, said a mid-August briefing by one of Newsom’s advisers on the proposal left her “absolutely stunned.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
Joseph Adinolfi and Joy Wiltermuth used charts to explain why the Treasury bond market has been rallying recently.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026
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
“My name is Joy, and I’ll be helping you shop today.”
From "Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero" by Kelly J. Baptist
In a statement issued through Alfred A Knopf, Gandhi says she wants this memoir "to be a testament of my heart's journey through the tender joys and dark despair that have marked my life".
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
Fortunately, I’m healthy enough to travel — one of my greatest joys in this chapter of life.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 23, 2026
The film frames their lapses in rigor as the joys of being a teenager, rather than imperfections — or worse, weakness in the pursuit of glory.
From Salon ● Aug. 18, 2026
The grandmother in the spotlight, a dyed-in-the-wool New Yorker named Renee, exposes Joshua to the joys of the Big City when he visits from the suburbs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
“I love mixing it up with him. I guess it’s a game we play since we both missed out on the joys of marital arguing— keeps my blood flowing.”
From "Dead End in Norvelt" by Jack Gantos
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.
