joie de vivre
/ˌʒwɑː də ˈviːvr(ə)
/ /ʒwad vivʀ/noun [mass noun]
Exuberant enjoyment of life: they seem to be filled with joie de vivre [count noun]: she had been gripped with a joie de vivre that hitherto had been completely missing from her life...
- ‘He was bouncy, ebullient and filled with joie de vivre,’ said Daley.
- But it's her wonderfully innocent joie de vivre and youthful exuberance that captured my heart.
- A lot has been made of their euphoric, ecstatic joie de vivre, but I have to say that mainly I find the overall tone rather irritating.
Synonyms
gaiety, cheerfulness, cheeriness, merriment, light-heartedness, happiness, joy, joyfulness, joyousness, delight, pleasure, high spirits, spiritedness, jollity, jolliness, joviality, exuberance, ebullience, liveliness, vivacity, enthusiasm, enjoyment, verve, gusto, relish, animation, effervescence, sparkle, buoyancy, sprightliness, jauntiness, zest, zestfulness
informal pep, zing, get-up-and-go, being full of the joys of spring, perkiness
literary gladsomeness, blitheness, blithesomeness
Origin
French, literally 'joy of living'.