Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense delights, present participle delighting, past tense, past participle delighted
1. uncountable noun
Delight is a feeling of very great pleasure.
Throughout the house, the views are a constant source of surprise and delight.
Andrew roared with delight when he heard Rachel's nickname for the baby.
To my great delight, it worked perfectly.
Synonyms: pleasure, joy, satisfaction, comfort More Synonyms of delight
2.
See take delight in/take a delight in
3. countable noun [oft NOUN to-infinitive]
You can refer to someone or something that gives you great pleasure or enjoyment as a delight.
[approval]
Isn't she a delight?
The aircraft was a delight to fly.
Sampling the local cuisine is one of the delights of a holiday abroad.
4. verb
If something delights you, it gives you a lot of pleasure.
She has created a style of music that has delighted audiences all over the world. [VERB noun]
The report has delighted environmentalists. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: please, satisfy, content, thrill More Synonyms of delight
5. verb
If you delightin something, you get a lot of pleasure from it.
Generations of adults and children have delighted in the story. [VERB + in]
He delighted in sharing his love of birds with children. [VERB + in]
delight in British English
(dɪˈlaɪt)
verb
1. (transitive)
to please greatly
2. (intransitive; foll byin)
to take great pleasure (in)
noun
3.
extreme pleasure or satisfaction; joy
4.
something that causes this
music was always his delight
Derived forms
delighter (deˈlighter)
noun
Word origin
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
delight in American English
(dɪˈlaɪt)
verb transitive
1.
to give great joy or pleasure to
verb intransitive
2.
to give great joy or pleasure
3.
to be highly pleased; rejoice
usually with in or an infinitive
noun
4.
great joy or pleasure
5.
something giving great joy or pleasure
6. OLD-FASHIONED, Poetic
the power of pleasing
SIMILAR WORDS: ˈpleasure
Word origin
ME deliten < OFr delitier < L delectare, to delight, freq. of OL delicere < de-, from + lacere, to entice, lit., to ensnare < IE base *lek-, twig, snare > OE læl, whip: sp. infl. by light2
COBUILD Collocations
delight
absolute delight
pure delight
sheer delight
Examples of 'delight' in a sentence
delight
An observation that gave great delight to her audience.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It is another art deco gem and its story will delight music lovers.
The Sun (2016)
We are not the only ones to delight in the calm.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The home fans were clearly delighted to see him back in the No 10 shirt.
The Sun (2016)
He said:'We will be delighted to see him back in the team.
The Sun (2016)
He'd have been delighted to see how we played - so that one is for him.
The Sun (2017)
And there will also be some surprises to delight spectators and usher the Year of the Rooster in true style.
The Sun (2017)
His family said that, despite dealing in the recovery of hundreds of millions of pounds, he delighted in simple pleasures.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It was a great delight and pleasure to play for my country.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
He was always delighted to see you.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
This time round there is one particular delight in the list.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
There are caveats to this delight in seeing the physio run on to the wicket.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
But what they do with the rest of the music is a delight.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
She took no more pleasure or delight in the world.
Kishlansky, Mark A. (editor) Sources of the West: Readings in Western Civilization, Volume 1: From the Beginningto 1715 (1995)
We can delight in his love without fearing that he might someday turn against us.
Christianity Today (2000)
The presence of the great whites has also delighted local marine biologists.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Your quietest friend is planning a surprise that will delight you.
The Sun (2012)
Food and my family are now my great delights.
The Sun (2010)
The display of drawings close to the relevant paintings is one of the delights of the exhibition.
The Times Literary Supplement (2013)
How can we resolve our differences and both continue to enjoy the joint pleasure and delight of these seasonal endeavours.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
But the music is pure delight.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The pace was smart, the staging a constant delight.
Susie Gilbert and Jay Shir A TALE OF FOUR HOUSES: Opera at Covent Garden, La Scala, Vienna and the Met since1945 (2003)
In music she is very skilful, but does not greatly delight.
Jane Dunn ELIZABETH AND MARY: Cousins, Rivals, Queens (2003)
Then it's one of great joy and delight to share with the fans.
The Sun (2013)
I was delighted to get out there.
The Sun (2013)
I am delighted to report that the refund has arrived.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
I am delighted to get another three points from a difficult game.
The Sun (2014)
She added: 'We are delighted with our performance last year.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
And the player added: 'I am delighted.
The Sun (2010)
For me, that it's built to extremely high standards is a constant delight.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
In other languages
delight
British English: delight /dɪˈlaɪt/ NOUN
Delight is a feeling of very great pleasure.
The little girls giggled with delight.
American English: delight
Arabic: بَهْجَة
Brazilian Portuguese: prazer
Chinese: 高兴
Croatian: razdraganost
Czech: slast
Danish: fornøjelse
Dutch: genot
European Spanish: deleite
Finnish: ilo
French: délice
German: Vergnügen
Greek: απόλαυση
Italian: gioia
Japanese: 大喜び
Korean: 기쁨
Norwegian: fornøyelse
Polish: rozkosz
European Portuguese: prazer
Romanian: încântare
Russian: наслаждение
Latin American Spanish: deleite
Swedish: glädje
Thai: ความยินดี
Turkish: haz
Ukrainian: задоволення
Vietnamese: sự vui sướng
British English: delight VERB
If something delights you, it gives you a lot of pleasure.
She has created a style of music that has delighted audiences all over the world.
American English: delight
Brazilian Portuguese: deleitar
Chinese: 使高兴
European Spanish: encantar
French: enchanter
German: erfreuen
Italian: dilettare
Japanese: 大いに楽しませる
Korean: 즐겁게 하다
European Portuguese: deleitar
Latin American Spanish: encantar
All related terms of 'delight'
pure delight
Delight is a feeling of very great pleasure .
sheer delight
Delight is a feeling of very great pleasure .
Turkish delight
Turkish delight is a jelly-like sweet that is covered with powdered sugar or chocolate .
absolute delight
You can refer to someone or something that gives you great pleasure or enjoyment as a delight .
delight audiences
The audience at a play, concert , film, or public meeting is the group of people watching or listening to it.
take delight in/take a delight in
If someone takes delight or takes a delight in something, they get a lot of pleasure from it.
Chinese translation of 'delight'
delight
(dɪˈlaɪt)
n
(u) (= feeling) 快乐(樂) (kuàilè)
(c) (= person, experience) 令人开(開)心的人/事 (lìng rén kāixīn de rén/shì)
vt
(= please) 使快乐(樂) (shǐ kuàilè)
vi
to delight in sth以某事为(為)乐(樂) (yǐ mǒushì wéi lè)
to my delight ... 令我高兴(興)的是 ... (lìng wǒ gāoxìng de shì ... )
to take (a) delight in sth/doing sth以某事/做某事为(為)乐(樂) (yǐ mǒushì/zuò mǒushì wéi lè)
she was a delight to interview采(採)访(訪)她是一件乐(樂)事 (cǎifǎng tā shì yī jiàn lèshì)
All related terms of 'delight'
to my delight ...
令我高兴(興)的是 ... lìng wǒ gāoxìng de shì ...
to delight in sth
以某事为(為)乐(樂) yǐ mǒushì wéi lè
she was a delight to interview
采(採)访(訪)她是一件乐(樂)事 cǎifǎng tā shì yī jiàn lèshì
to feel giddy with excitement/delight
激动(動)/高兴(興)得晕(暈)头(頭)转(轉)向 jīdòng/gāoxìng de yūn tóu zhuàn xiàng
to take (a) delight in sth/doing sth
以某事/做某事为(為)乐(樂) yǐ mǒushì/zuò mǒushì wéi lè
(verb)
Definition
to please greatly
The report has delighted environmentalists.
Synonyms
please
This comment pleased her immensely.
satisfy
The pace of change has not been quick enough to satisfy everyone.
content
thrill
charm
My sister charms everyone she meets.
cheer
amuse
The thought seemed to amuse her.
divert
diverting her with jokes and fiery arguments
enchant
This book will enchant readers.
rejoice
gratify
She was gratified by his response.
ravish
an eerie power to ravish the eye and seduce the soul
gladden
Her visit surprised and gladdened him.
give pleasure to
tickle pink (informal)
Opposites
upset,
disgust
,
offend
,
gall
,
vex
,
irk
,
dissatisfy
(noun)
Definition
extreme pleasure
To my delight, the plan worked perfectly.
Synonyms
pleasure
We exclaimed with pleasure when we saw them.
joy
Salter shouted with joy.
satisfaction
She felt a small glow of satisfaction.
comfort
happiness
I think she was looking for happiness.
ecstasy
the agony and ecstasy of holiday romance
enjoyment
She ate with great enjoyment.
bliss
It was a scene of such domestic bliss.
felicity
a period of domestic felicity
glee
His victory was greeted with glee.
gratification
Eventually they recognized him, much to his gratification.
rapture
His speech was received with rapture by his supporters.
gladness
Opposites
dissatisfaction
,
distaste
,
displeasure
,
disfavour
,
disapprobation
phrasal verb
See delight in or take a delight in something or someone