delighted
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of delighted
Explanation
You can use the adjective delighted to describe being really pleased or happy with something. Maybe you would be "stoked" about getting backstage passes to a concert, while someone getting backstage passes to the symphony would be delighted. Delighted might be a slightly old-fashioned way to show excitement or enthusiasm, or maybe it's a more refined way to express how you feel. Saying, "Oh, I'm so delighted you decided to come!" was once a common way to show how happy you were to see a friend. More contemporary uses might be sarcastic, like when you hand your mom an armload of stinky gym clothes without a "Please" and she says "I'll be delighted to wash these for you!"
Vocabulary lists containing delighted
In the Mood? 100 Words to Describe Emotions
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Hooked on a Feeling, List 1
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Smiley Face: Synonyms for "Happy"
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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.
On my recent rereading of “The Secret Garden,” I was delighted by the moment when Mary, initially pale and peevish and uninterested in her breakfast, begins wandering the grounds with a jump rope in hand.
From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2026
For now, Arevalo is delighted to be flaunting his electric street cart to fellow vendors who rely on petrol generators.
From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026
When Lisa Kudrow appeared on The Claudia Winkleman Show earlier this year, she was visibly delighted to meet Linda from The Traitors.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
“I’m very delighted and blessed and thrilled to say I’ve got so many grandparents now.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
“Nhamo!” cried Dr. Masuku in a delighted voice.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
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.
