delight

[ dih-lahyt ]
See synonyms for delight on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a high degree of pleasure or enjoyment; joy; rapture: She takes great delight in her job.

  2. something that gives great pleasure: The dance was a delight to see.

verb (used with object)
  1. to give great pleasure, satisfaction, or enjoyment to; please highly: The show delighted everyone.

verb (used without object)
  1. to have great pleasure; take pleasure (followed by in or an infinitive): She delights in going for long walks in the country.

Origin of delight

1
First recorded in 1175–1225; (verb) respelling, after light1, of earlier delite,Middle English deliten, from Anglo-French deliter,Old French delitier, from Latin delectāre (see delectable); (noun) respelling (as above) of Middle English delit, from Anglo-French, Old French, derivative of the verb

synonym study For delight

1. See pleasure.

Other words for delight

Opposites for delight

Other words from delight

  • de·light·er, noun
  • de·light·ing·ly, adverb
  • de·light·less, adjective
  • self-de·light, noun
  • un·de·light·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use delight in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for delight

delight

/ (dɪˈlaɪt) /


verb
  1. (tr) to please greatly

  2. (intr foll by in) to take great pleasure (in)

noun
  1. extreme pleasure or satisfaction; joy

  2. something that causes this: music was always his delight

Origin of delight

1
C13: from Old French delit, from deleitier to please, from Latin dēlectāre, from dēlicere to allure, from de- + lacere to entice; see delicious; English spelling influenced by light

Derived forms of delight

  • delighter, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012