Delightful

/dɪˈlaɪtfəl/

adjectiveBeginner📊CommonEmotion
1 meaning1 idiom/phrase2 questions

Definitions

1

Causing great pleasure; highly pleasing.

/dɪˈlaɪtfəl/

adjectivepositiveBeginner
Emotion

Causing great pleasure or joy

The meal was absolutely delightful.

💡 Simply: When something is delightful, it makes you really happy and excited, like a yummy treat or a fun day at the park!

👶 For kids: Something that is delightful is super fun and makes you feel happy!

More Examples

2

She had a delightful time at the party.

3

The weather was delightfully sunny.

How It's Used

Everyday conversation

"Describing a pleasant experience."

Literature

"Describing a pleasing character."

Reviews

"Describing a good restaurant."

Synonyms & Antonyms

Antonyms

Idioms & expressions

delight in

To take great pleasure or satisfaction in something.

"She delights in solving complex puzzles."

From Middle English *deliȝtful*, equivalent to delight + -ful. Delight, in turn, comes from Old French delit, from Latin dēlectāre ('to charm, please'). The suffix '-ful' indicates 'full of' or 'characterized by'.

Used since the late 14th century, originally referring to something that gave pleasure. It was widely used in literature, especially in describing characters and settings.

Memory tip

Think of a 'light' that brings 'de-' (deeper) pleasure.

Word Origin

LanguageOld French
Original meaning

"To charm, to please"

delightful experiencedelightful eveningdelightful persondelightful surprisedelightful weather

Common misspellings

delitefuldeligtful

Usage

60%Spoken
40%Written