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"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Key Words, Unit 5
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
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
For instance, Steinem reveals she finds joy in reality TV, including “Dance Moms.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
It forms brotherhood through both misery and joy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
As he ran, Wolf felt with joy how his pads were toughening, his limbs getting stronger with every Dark that passed.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
None of this was a surprise to Joy Chen of the Eaton Fire Survivors Network.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026
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
Psychotherapist Dr Joy Conlon, who runs wellbeing coaching service Alive 365, agrees.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
Joseph Adinolfi and Joy Wiltermuth used charts to explain why the Treasury bond market has been rallying recently.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026
Joy brings me a new calendar for the new year: 1967.
From "Lucky Broken Girl" by Ruth Behar
Given the phrase’s innate poeticism, it’s often used by scholars, authors, casanovas and perhaps overly didactic filmmakers to convey the fleeting intensity of life’s most burning joys.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
Fortunately, I’m healthy enough to travel — one of my greatest joys in this chapter of life.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 23, 2026
What we do get in these fleeting visions are scenes about connection, its joys and tensions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
She spent the last three years chronicling her daily life as a young person going through chemotherapy and living with cancer, with all its hopes, joys and struggles.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
“The joys come close upon the sorrows this time, and I rather think the changes have begun,” said Mrs. March.
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.
