joy
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joy¹
- /d͡ʒɔɪ/ Canada, US, UK
- /d͡ʒoj/ British, Southern, Standard
- /d͡ʒoɪ/ Australia, New Zealand
Rhymes with -ɔɪ
Where it comes from
The noun is from Middle English joye, borrowed from Old French joie, from Late Latin gaudia, neuter plural (mistaken as feminine singular) of Latin gaudium (“joy”), from gaudēre (“to be glad, rejoice”). Doublet of jo and gaudy (“Oxford college reunion”). Displaced native Old English ġefēa.
The interjection is from the noun.
The verb is from Middle English joyen, joȝen, joien, from Old French jöir, from the Old French noun (see above).
noun joys
-
A feeling of extreme happiness or cheerfulness, especially related to the acquisition or expectation of something good.
a child's joy on Christmas morning
Similar: elation, glee, blitheness, blithesomeness, cheerfulness, cheeriness, contentness, contentedness, delight, delightedness, elatedness, exuberance · Opposite: infelicity, joylessness, unhappiness, unjoy, blueness, tristesse, mirthlessness, blues, crestfallenness, dejection, depression, despondency
- Anything that causes such a feeling. the joys and demands of parenthood
- Luck or success; a positive outcome. Grant had no joy with taking a nap, so he began to systematically feel if everything was working: fingers and toes, etc.
- The sign or exhibition of joy; gaiety; merriment; festivity. Such ioy made Vna, when her knight she found;
interjection
verb joys · joying · joyed
- To feel joy, to rejoice. for oftymes or this oure lord shewed hym vnto good men and vnto good knyghtes in lykenes of an herte But I suppose from hens forth ye shalle see no more / and thenne they Ioyed moche / and dwelled ther alle that day / And vpon the morowe whan they had herde masse / they departed and commaunded the g
- To enjoy. I haue my wish, in that I ioy thy sight,
- To give joy to; to congratulate. Then round our Death-bed ev'ry Friend ſhou'd run, / And joy us of our Conqueſt, early won: […]
- To gladden; to make joyful; to exhilarate. Yet neither pleasure’s art can joy my spirits, Nor yet the other’s distance comfort me.
Joy²
- /d͡ʒɔɪ/
Sounds like joy · Rhymes with -ɔɪ
Where it comes from
From the noun joy, first used by Puritans in the 17th century.
proper noun
- A female given name from English. "I have no name: / I am but two days old." / What shall I call thee? / "I happy am, / Joy is my name." / Sweet joy befall thee!
- A surname.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: gladden, delight, rejoice, joyfulness, joyousness, pleasure, glee, delighted, gladness, cheer, elation, joyful, rejoicing, jubilation, happiness, cheerful
Translations
Every language
noun feeling of happiness
| Español | alegría, gozo, felicidad, júbilo, regocijo |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 즐거움 jeulgeoum, 기쁨 gippeum |
| 日本語 | 喜び yorokobi |
| 中文 | 歡喜 /欢喜 huānxǐ, 歡樂 /欢乐 huānlè, 喜悅 /喜悦 xǐyuè, 喜樂 /喜乐 xǐlè |
| हिन्दी | हर्ष harṣ, आनंद ānand, ख़ुशी xuśī, सुख sukh, प्रसन्नता prasannatā, आह्लाद āhlād |
| Kiswahili | furaha |
| Português | alegria |
| Français | joie |
| Deutsch | Freude |
| Italiano | gioia, allegria, felicità, piacere |
| Ελληνικά | χαρά chará |
| Română | fericire, bucurie, jovialitate, veselie, voioșie |
| Русский | ра́дость rádostʹ, весе́лье vesélʹje |
| العربية | سُرُور surūr, فَرَح faraḥ |
| עברית | שִׂמְחָה simkhá |
Talk about this word "joy." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/joy. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. joy. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/joy "joy." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/joy.Cite this
@misc{joy_2026,
title = {joy},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/joy},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
