delight

1 of 2

noun

de·​light di-ˈlīt 

dē-

1

: a high degree of gratification or pleasure : joy

children squealing in delight

also : extreme satisfaction

seems to take delight in the misfortunes of others

2

: something that gives great pleasure

Her performance was a delight.

3

archaic : the power of affording pleasure

… of more delight than hawks or horses be …

—Shakespeare

delight

2 of 2

verb

delighted; delighting; delights

intransitive verb

1

: to take great pleasure

delighted in playing the guitar

2

: to give keen enjoyment

a book certain to delight

transitive verb

: to give joy or satisfaction to

Her books delight readers of all ages.

delighter noun

Synonyms of delight

Noun

• joy

Verb

• joy
• triumph

Examples of delight in a Sentence

Noun

We watched the fireworks with delight.

The kids screamed in delight as they chased one another around the park.

To the delight of the children, there were enough cookies for everyone to have two.

Some people seem to take great delight in hearing about the misfortunes of others.

The trip was a delight.

a garden full of tasty delights

The magazine is a cook's delight.

The stories are a delight to read.

Verb

The toy delighted the children.

The stories will delight readers of all ages.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Yet, most of the attention goes to the twin towers of vocal delight and fretboard frenzy — Metzger and Hamilton. — Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 2 Aug. 2026

Those delights transport me to my earliest and happiest memories, surrounded by family and friends at birthday parties spent at the park or at McDonald’s. — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 2 Aug. 2026

Verb

The trade infuriated fans and likely delighted the MLB executives and owners who are thirsty to implement a hard salary cap in the next collective bargaining agreement. — Jon Greenberg, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026

The recipe continues to be the creative constant for a cake that still delights guests 90 years on. — Bianca Betancourt, CNN Money, 3 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English delit, delite, borrowed from Anglo-French delit, noun derivative of deliter "to delight entry 2"

Note: Regarding the spelling, see note at delight entry 2.

Verb

Middle English deliten, borrowed from Anglo-French deliter (continental Old French delitier), going back to Latin dēlectāre "to entice, exert fascination on, charm, be a source of delight to," frequentative of dēliciō, dēlicere "to lure, entice," from dē- de- + lacere "to entice, inveigle," of uncertain origin

Note: Spellings with a nonexistent velar fricative (deliht, deliȝt, delight), by analogy with light entry 1, sight entry 1, etc., first appear in the noun in Middle English and become predominant for both noun and verb by ca. 1600. – The simple verb lacere is attested only in the etymological musings of the grammarian Pompeius Festus; it apparently was ousted early on by the frequentative lactāre. Similarly, dēlicere is rare textually, having been replaced by dēlectāre. The verb has been compared with laqueus "loop of rope, noose, snare," but a derivative such as dēlicia (see delicious) shows no trace of a labiovelar.

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Phrases Containing delight

• delight in
• take delight in
• to someone's delight
• Turkish delight

Rhymes for delight

• affright
• airtight
• albite
• alight
• alright
• aplite
• aright
• bainite
• birthright
• bobwhite
• bornite
• bullfight

Kids Definition

delight

1 of 2 noun

de·​light di-ˈlīt 

1

: extreme pleasure or satisfaction : joy

2

: something that gives great pleasure

delight

2 of 2 verb

1

: to take great pleasure

delighted in playing guitar

2

: to give joy or satisfaction to : please greatly

a book sure to delight