delight

1 of 2

noun

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 2

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

Synonyms of delight

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Noun

Verb

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Examples of delight in a Sentence

Noun 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
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Noun
Once a farrier's shop, Bygones Cocktail Bar, centered on a horseshoe bar, has romantic lighting, cocktails executed with joy and delight, and a laissez-faire atmosphere. — Leslie Pariseau, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Oct. 2026 Later on, in the fourth quarter, after an errant pass was batted upward and, eventually, into the hands of an offensive lineman, Kelce, ever the ambassador for his undersung position, was full of primal delight. — Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2026
Verb
Tse Yang was the finest Chinese restaurant to open in Madrid, and its crispy Peking Duck has been delighting locals for years. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026 And his fight against Black housing development in Newark’s North Ward delighted many of his neighbors. — Mark Krasovic, The Conversation, 7 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for delight

Word History

Etymology

Noun

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

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

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Browse Nearby Words

delieret
delight
delighted
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Cite this Entry

“Delight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/delight. Accessed 14 Oct. 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
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