joyful
Americanadjective
-
full of joy, as a person or one's heart; glad; delighted.
- Antonyms:
- melancholy
-
showing or expressing joy, as looks, actions, or speech.
-
causing or bringing joy, as an event, a sight, or news; delightful.
the joyful announcement of their marriage.
adjective
-
full of joy; elated
-
expressing or producing joy
a joyful look
a joyful occasion
Other Word Forms
- joyfully adverb
- joyfulness noun
- overjoyful adjective
- overjoyfully adverb
- overjoyfulness noun
- unjoyful adjective
- unjoyfully adverb
Etymology
Origin of joyful
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.
"When I'm at my most joyful or euphoric, I feel like I've seen heaven for a moment," she says.
From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026
Like Carroll, a long-running gig was the last thing on her mind when she began playing the energetic, joyful Kasie.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2026
"You rejoice and cry, and you tremble inside from the emotion -- seeing those eyes that are both sad and joyful and filled with tears," she told AFP during a recent prisoner exchange.
From Barron's • Mar. 18, 2026
Clammy palms, spiked heart-rates, agonising groans and joyful roars - and that's just Steve Cram in the commentary box.
From BBC • Feb. 21, 2026
Yes, there was a sound of bells at the door below, a cry from Hannah, and then Laurie’s voice saying in a joyful whisper, “Girls, she’s come! She’s come!”
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
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.
