joy

play

noun \ ˈjȯi \

Definition of joy

1 a :the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires :delight

b :the expression or exhibition of such emotion :gaiety

2 :a state of happiness or felicity :bliss

3 :a source or cause of delight

—

joyless

play \ˈjȯi-ləs\ adjective

—

joylessly

adverb

—

joylessness

noun

See joy defined for English-language learners

See joy defined for kids

Examples of joy in a Sentence

Their sorrow turned to joy.
I can hardly express the joy I felt at seeing her again.
Seeing her again brought tears of joy to my eyes.
The flowers are a joy to behold!
What a joy it was to see her again.

Recent Examples of joy from the Web

These passages convey the joys of falling in love and getting married in typical Bollywood fashion, making monogamous attachment seem like the greatest pleasure one can experience.

— ben sachs, Chicago Reader, "Film / Foreign / Politics A two-and-a-half-hour musical about toilets is now playing in Chicago," 23 Aug. 2017
When President Barack Obama won his first term, some of us ran around Charlottesville screaming with joy for hours.

— joshua adams, Longreads, "What Thomas Jefferson Taught Me About Charlottesville and America," 17 Aug. 2017
For all that divides us as a nation today, this is our lingua franca, the sudden, unexpected, violent joy of seeing a dude getting nuked in the junk.

— luke o'neil, Esquire, "Watching a Guy Take a Heater to the Crotch is America's True National Pastime," 17 Aug. 2017
Hoping to pop on January 11th—the anniversary of her father-in-law’s passing, to bring life and joy back to the day—

— rosemary counter, Bon Appetit, "This Eggplant Parm Is Famous for Inducing Labor," 7 Aug. 2017
Everyone need friends, families, and communities to bring joy, meaning, and order to their lives.

— elliot kaufman, National Review, "Earth to Senator Murphy: Politics Won’t Solve All of Our Problems," 28 July 2017
And since then her joy and enthusiasm for fitness has attracted some 1.4 million followers on Instagram and 3.8 million subscribers on YouTube.

— julia naftulin, Health.com, "What Cassey Ho's Bikini Competition Days Taught Her About Plastic Surgery," 17 July 2017
Mr. Serkis, without ever showing his face, nimbly displayed the manic and depressive mannerisms of the creature and combined them with a grating, scratchy voice to portray emotions ranging from extreme despair to intoxicating joy.

— sopan deb, New York Times, "Caesar, Vader, Benjamin Button, the Red Queen: 10 Performances That Transcended Effects," 14 July 2017
To celebrate their 65th anniversary, the couple has a series of poignant photographs, captured by photographer Megan Vaughan, that illustrate their joy in reaching this milestone.

— sarah schreiber, Good Housekeeping, "Emotional Photo Shows the Love Dementia-Stricken Woman Has for Her Husband," 13 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'joy.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of joy

Middle English, from Anglo-French joie, from Latin gaudia, plural of gaudium, from gaudēre to rejoice; probably akin to Greek gēthein to rejoice

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

See Words from the same year

joy Synonyms

Synonyms

beatitude, blessedness, bliss, blissfulness, felicity, gladness, happiness, warm fuzzies

Antonyms

calamity, ill-being, misery, sadness, unhappiness, wretchedness

Near Antonyms

agony, anguish, desolation, joylessness, sorrow, sufferance, woe, woefulness; blues, cheerlessness, dejection, depression, desolateness, despondency, disheartenment, dispiritedness, doldrums, downheartedness, gloom, gloominess, melancholy, mournfulness, plaintiveness; Gehenna, hell, purgatory

joy

verb

Definition of joy

intransitive verb

:to experience great pleasure or delight :rejoice

transitive verb

1 archaic :gladden

2 archaic :enjoy

Examples of joy in a Sentence

the whole town is joying in the fact that its oldest church has been restored to its Victorian splendor

Recent Examples of joy from the Web

There are three ways to get involved: Wear PINK in Holly’s honor Make a plan to share hugs and spread love & joy through random acts of heartfelt kindness for those in your community.

— jeff zrebiec, baltimoresun.com, "The Heap family is asking you to honor the memory of their daughter Wednesday," 2 May 2017

Origin and Etymology of joy

see ¹joy

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

joy Synonyms

Synonyms

crow, delight, exuberate, glory, jubilate, exult, kvell, rejoice, triumph

Related Words

gloat, preen, swell; boast, brag; flaunt, parade, show off, strut, swagger

Near Antonyms

bemoan, bewail, grieve, lament, regret, weep

JOY Defined for English Language Learners

joy

play

noun

Definition of joy for English Language Learners

: a feeling of great happiness
: a source or cause of great happiness : something or someone that gives joy to someone
: success in doing, finding, or getting something

JOY Defined for Kids

joy

play

noun \ ˈjȯi \

Definition of joy for Students

1 :a feeling of pleasure or happiness that comes from success, good fortune, or a sense of well-being

2 :something that gives pleasure or happiness It's a joy to have you visit.

Learn More about joy

See words that rhyme with joy Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for joy Spanish Central: Translation of joy Nglish: Translation of joy for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of joy for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about joy

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joy

Definition of joy

joyless

joylessly

joylessness

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Examples of joy in a Sentence

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Origin and Etymology of joy

joy Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

joy

Definition of joy

Examples of joy in a Sentence

Recent Examples of joy from the Web

Origin and Etymology of joy

joy Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

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JOY Defined for English Language Learners

joy

Definition of joy for English Language Learners

JOY Defined for Kids

joy

Definition of joy for Students

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