joy

1 of 2

noun

ˈjȯi 

1

a

: a feeling of great happiness or pleasure : delight

Seeing you happy gives me such joy.

They were shouting/jumping for joy. [=they shouted/jumped because they were very happy]

b

: the expression or exhibition of such emotion

a gathering full of joy and laughter

2

: a state of great happiness : bliss

wishes of love, joy, and peace for all

3

: a source or cause of delight

The sun is the joy and the sorrow of the people. It destroys their crops while it warms them with the heat they could not live without.

—Maia Wojciechowska

Discovering something new is one of the great joys of eating out.

—Tim Fish

The old boat was his pride and joy.

The baby is a little bundle of joy.

joyless

ˈjȯi-ləs 

adjective

joylessly adverb

joylessness noun

joy

2 of 2

verb

joyed; joying; joys

intransitive verb

archaic

: to experience great pleasure or delight : rejoice

transitive verb

1

archaic : gladden

2

archaic : enjoy

Synonyms of joy

Noun

• happiness
• bliss
• blissfulness

Verb

• delight
• glory
• triumph

Examples of joy in a Sentence

Noun

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.

Verb

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

While glimmers are mini sparks of joy, triggers are associated with setting off a negative spiral via your nervous system. —Danielle Winston, Flow Space, 24 Nov. 2025

The in-game heat on NFL coaches induces screams of agony or joy that can be heard outside of press-level coaching booths. —Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Nov. 2025

What a sense of humor, what good taste, what a joy to live. —Zac Ntim, Deadline, 24 Nov. 2025

And what a joy that all of this was over a short story! —Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

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

First Known Use

Noun

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

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Phrases Containing joy

• bundle of joy
• jump for joy
• shout for joy
• shouting/jumping for joy

Rhymes for joy

• boy
• choy
• coy
• croy
• foy
• hoi
• hoy
• loy
• oy
• ploy
• soy
• toy

Kids Definition

joy

1 of 2 noun

ˈjȯi 

1

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

2

: something that gives joy

a joy to behold

joyless

-ləs 

adjective

joylessness noun

joy

2 of 2 verb

: to experience joy : rejoice