delight

1 of 3

noun (1)

de·​light di-ˈlīt How to pronounce delight (audio)
dē-
Synonyms of delight
1
: a high degree of gratification or pleasure : joy
children squealing in delight
also : extreme satisfaction
seems to take delight in the misfortunes of others
2
: something that gives great pleasure
Her performance was a delight.
3
archaic : the power of affording pleasure
… of more delight than hawks or horses be …—Shakespeare

delight

2 of 3

verb

delighted; delighting; delights

intransitive verb

1
: to take great pleasure
delighted in playing the guitar
2
: to give keen enjoyment
a book certain to delight

transitive verb

: to give joy or satisfaction to
Her books delight readers of all ages.
delighter noun

delighter

3 of 3

noun (2)

de·​light·​er
-ītə(r), 
-ītə-
plural -s
: one that gives or takes delight

Synonyms of delight

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Noun (1)

Verb

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of delight in a Sentence

Noun (1) We watched the fireworks with delight. The kids screamed in delight as they chased one another around the park. To the delight of the children, there were enough cookies for everyone to have two. Some people seem to take great delight in hearing about the misfortunes of others. The trip was a delight. a garden full of tasty delights The magazine is a cook's delight. The stories are a delight to read. Verb The toy delighted the children. The stories will delight readers of all ages.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Fletcher and Takeshita threw hands in the middle of the ring to the delight of Wembley Stadium. — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026 At one point, Livingston even jumped in herself, to the despair of security and the delight of fans. — Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026
Verb
In the last two months, New York City’s Radio City Music Hall hosted two ‘80s British music triple bills that delighted fans of the golden MTV era. — David Chiu, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026 This is a prospect that particularly delights Lady Eliza Spencer, Princess Diana’s niece and Prince Harry’s cousin. — Mathilde Engelmann, Vanity Fair, 29 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for delight

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English delit, delite, borrowed from Anglo-French delit, noun derivative of deliter "to delight entry 2"

Note: Regarding the spelling, see note at delight entry 2.

Verb

Middle English deliten, borrowed from Anglo-French deliter (continental Old French delitier), going back to Latin dēlectāre "to entice, exert fascination on, charm, be a source of delight to," frequentative of dēliciō, dēlicere "to lure, entice," from dē- de- + lacere "to entice, inveigle," of uncertain origin

Note: Spellings with a nonexistent velar fricative (deliht, deliȝt, delight), by analogy with light entry 1, sight entry 1, etc., first appear in the noun in Middle English and become predominant for both noun and verb by ca. 1600. – The simple verb lacere is attested only in the etymological musings of the grammarian Pompeius Festus; it apparently was ousted early on by the frequentative lactāre. Similarly, dēlicere is rare textually, having been replaced by dēlectāre. The verb has been compared with laqueus "loop of rope, noose, snare," but a derivative such as dēlicia (see delicious) shows no trace of a labiovelar.

First Known Use

Noun (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of delight was in the 13th century

Phrases Containing delight

Rhymes for delight

See All Rhymes for delight

Browse Nearby Words

delieret
delight
delighted
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Delight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/delight. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Kids Definition

delight

1 of 2 noun
de·​light di-ˈlīt How to pronounce delight (audio)
1
: extreme pleasure or satisfaction : joy
2
: something that gives great pleasure

delight

2 of 2 verb
1
: to take great pleasure
delighted in playing guitar
2
: to give joy or satisfaction to : please greatly
a book sure to delight
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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