rejoicing
Americannoun
-
the act of a person who rejoices.
- Synonyms:
- merrymaking, celebration
-
the feeling or the expression of joy.
-
Often rejoicings. an occasion for expressing joy.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of rejoicing
Middle English word dating back to 1325–75; see origin at rejoice, -ing 1
Explanation
Rejoicing is celebration or festivity. There will be great rejoicing when your favorite cousin comes home after his three years away in the Peace Corps. You can use the word rejoicing as a noun, to mean jubilation and joy, or as an adjective to mean "joyful." A rejoicing crowd is full of happiness and cheer, and a rejoicing child might jump up and down with excitement. Rejoicing comes from the verb rejoice, which is rooted in the Old French word rejoir, a combination of the intensive re and joir, "be glad."
Vocabulary lists containing rejoicing
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.
"Everybody was rejoicing to know that we get saved because we thought we were going to die," Olympia Outten, one of the passengers on the plane, said afterwards.
From BBC ● May 14, 2026
“Market participants are rejoicing as they head into the weekend.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
Benjamin Samat, a French influencer living in Dubai, took to Instagram to lash out at "those who on social media are rejoicing that the French are going through this".
From Barron's ● Mar. 1, 2026
Not everyone can shed jealousy, let alone manage “compersion,” which entails rejoicing in a partner’s happiness with someone else.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 13, 2026
“He is fled his master in Virginia” This is cause for rejoicing; but I do not call it so.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
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.
