Joyful

ˈdʒɔɪfəl

adjectiveBeginnerCommonGeneral

Definitions

1

Feeling or expressing happiness and pleasure.

ˈdʒɔɪfəl

adjectivepositiveBeginner
General

Feeling or expressing great pleasure and happiness.

The children were joyful when they saw the presents.

💡 Simply: Being super happy, like when you get a fun surprise or when you're playing with your favorite toys. Imagine that feeling and that's what 'joyful' means!

👶 For kids: Feeling very, very happy!

More Examples

2

She had a joyful smile on her face.

3

The joyful music filled the room.

How It's Used

General

"She had a joyful expression on her face as she received the award."

Religious

"The choir sang a joyful hymn during the service."

Idioms & expressions

filled with joy

Experiencing a strong sense of happiness.

"The new mother was filled with joy upon seeing her baby."

From Middle English *joyful*, *joyfull*, equivalent to *joy* + *-ful*. Joy derives from Old French *joie*, itself from Latin *gaudium*.

Used in literature and everyday speech since the Middle Ages, often in religious contexts but also to describe general happiness and contentment.

Memory tip

Think of a joy-filled day with friends, laughing and smiling!

joyfulljoyeful

Usage

60%Spoken
40%Written