1
as in happiness
a feeling or state of well-being and contentment
the inexpressible joy that the couple are feeling upon the birth of their first child
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in delight
a source of great satisfaction
my car is my pride and joy
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in to delight
to feel or express joy or triumph
the whole town is joying in the fact that its oldest church has been restored to its Victorian splendor
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of joy
New Atlas, 9 Jan. 2026
London is not a real place 😂 🫧 Shoutout to @jahfire247 for bringing so much joy to London.
—Jennifer Hassan, Washington Post, 9 Jan. 2026
Founded by Maurice White, the group helped shape the sound of funk, soul, R&B, and pop while delivering a message rooted in spirituality, unity, and joy.
—Charlie Vargas, Oc Register, 8 Jan. 2026
Would Cora grow more open to life’s imperfect joys, its corny pleasures?
—Literary Hub, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for joy
Noun
The bottom line One of the absolute joys of my life is playing guitar.
—New Atlas, 9 Jan. 2026
London is not a real place 😂 🫧 Shoutout to @jahfire247 for bringing so much joy to London.
—Jennifer Hassan, Washington Post, 9 Jan. 2026
Founded by Maurice White, the group helped shape the sound of funk, soul, R&B, and pop while delivering a message rooted in spirituality, unity, and joy.
—Charlie Vargas, Oc Register, 8 Jan. 2026
Would Cora grow more open to life’s imperfect joys, its corny pleasures?
—Literary Hub, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for joy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for joy
Noun
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In fact, the United States’ economic competitiveness—not to mention the happiness of its citizenry—ranks below many countries that work much fewer hours, including Denmark, Sweden, Ireland, Netherlands, and Norway.—
Joe O’Connor,
Time,
13 Jan. 2026
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Studies have shown that WhatsApp users are more likely to express both happiness and sadness on the platform than on other, more public-facing apps, like X or Instagram.—
Sam Knight,
New Yorker,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
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In 2022, Stonestreet trolled Ferguson by reposting an edited version of a throwback photo Ferguson had shared earlier that day, to the delight of Modern Family fans.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
14 Jan. 2026
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Cove is much larger, with a more formal service style, but the exactitude is still there, the sense of stylishness, the obsession and the delight.—
Helen Rosner,
New Yorker,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Messi, at 35, led his country to glory against France, winning soccer’s ultimate prize in a pulsating match that finished 3-3 after extra time and had to be settled by a nerve-wracking penalty shootout.—
Patrick Smith,
NBC News,
19 Dec. 2022
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If Harris can bring together a family with Indian, African, and Jewish heritage, America can glory in its diversity.—
Fintan O’Toole,
The New York Review of Books,
26 Aug. 2020
Noun
-
Every year in late December, my childhood home transformed into a vision of American bliss.—
Andrew Fedorov,
The Atlantic,
31 Dec. 2025
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Once all the holiday bliss ended, my family always made an annual trip to the store to quickly make our exchanges and returns and get more bang for our buck.—
Alyssa Grabinski,
PEOPLE,
27 Dec. 2025
Noun
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In Sonnenfeld’s telling, the president’s recent moves substitute executive discretion for market outcomes, leaving managers and shareholders operating not within a free market, but at the pleasure of the White House.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
8 Jan. 2026
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Would Cora grow more open to life’s imperfect joys, its corny pleasures?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But Carolina triumphed in the three-way tiebreaker, by virtue of its better overall record against the other first-place teams.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
4 Jan. 2026
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The first two semi-finals were drawn, with Leeds triumphing 1-0 in the second replay, all played out before a combined total of 173,500 people at Hillsborough, Aston Villa’s Villa Park and Burnden Park in Bolton.—
Andy Mitten,
New York Times,
3 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Tomlin stepped down as head coach of the Steelers on Tuesday after 19 seasons with the team and the popular bakery is now selling sweet treats as a way to say thank you to the longtime leader of the black and gold.—
Mike Darnay,
CBS News,
15 Jan. 2026
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On the eve of the NFL Draft in 2024, with the whole family in Detroit awaiting news of where Maye would play professionally, Maye got to pick that night’s activities, a rare treat for the youngest of four boys.—
Chad Graff,
New York Times,
14 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Some tribes in the region that traditionally hold First Salmon feasts to welcome the arrival of spring salmon from the ocean have waited for their catch in vain, forcing them to ask other tribes to donate a fish, Gobin said.—
Katherine J. Wu,
The Atlantic,
7 Jan. 2026
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We were used to lives of feast or famine.—
Jonathan Taplin,
Rolling Stone,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Joy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/joy. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.
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