Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Synonyms
Nearby Words
Definition of pride and joy - 2 dictionary results

pride

  [prahyd] noun, verb, prid⋅ed, prid⋅ing.
Use pride and joy in a Sentence
–noun
1. a high or inordinate opinion of one's own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in bearing, conduct, etc.
2. the state or feeling of being proud.
3. a becoming or dignified sense of what is due to oneself or one's position or character; self-respect; self-esteem.
4. pleasure or satisfaction taken in something done by or belonging to oneself or believed to reflect credit upon oneself: civic pride.
5. something that causes a person or persons to be proud: His art collection was the pride of the family.
6. the best of a group, class, society, etc.: This bull is the pride of the herd.
7. the most flourishing state or period: in the pride of adulthood.
8. mettle in a horse.
9. Literary. splendor, magnificence, or pomp.
10. a group of lions.
11. sexual desire, esp. in a female animal.
12. ornament or adornment.
–verb (used with object)
13. to indulge or plume (oneself) in a feeling of pride (usually fol. by on or upon): She prides herself on her tennis.
—Idiom
14. pride and joy, someone or something cherished, valued, or enjoyed above all others: Their new grandchild is their pride and joy.
Origin:
bef. 1000; ME (n.); OE prȳde (c. ON prȳthi bravery, pomp), deriv. of prūd proud

Related forms:
prideful, adjective
pride⋅ful⋅ly, adverb
pride⋅ful⋅ness, noun
prideless, adjective
pride⋅less⋅ly, adverb

Synonyms:
1. Pride, conceit, self-esteem, egotism, vanity, vainglory imply an unduly favorable idea of one's own appearance, advantages, achievements, etc., and often apply to offensive characteristics. Pride is a lofty and often arrogant assumption of superiority in some respect: Pride must have a fall. Conceit implies an exaggerated estimate of one's own abilities or attainments, together with pride: blinded by conceit. Self-esteem may imply an estimate of oneself that is higher than that held by others: a ridiculous self-esteem. Egotism implies an excessive preoccupation with oneself or with one's own concerns, usually but not always accompanied by pride or conceit: His egotism blinded him to others' difficulties. Vanity implies self-admiration and an excessive desire to be admired by others: His vanity was easily flattered. Vainglory, somewhat literary, implies an inordinate and therefore empty or unjustified pride: puffed up by vainglory. 5. boast.

Antonyms:
1. humility.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To pride and joy
Idioms & Phrases

pride and joy

The object of one's great pleasure, as in Our new grandson is our pride and joy, or Dana's car is his pride and joy. This term was probably invented by Sir Walter Scott in his poem Rokeby (1813), where he described children as "a mother's pride, a father's joy."

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see pride and joy on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way