joyful

adjective

ˈjȯi-fəl How to pronounce joyful (audio)
Definition of joyfulnext
as in thankful
experiencing pleasure, satisfaction, or delight the news of the child's safe return made us all joyful

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of joyful Williams captivated the world with his unpredictable, witty humor and joyful personality in television and movies until taking his own life in 2014 at age 63. — Pj Green august 13, Kansas City Star, 13 Aug. 2026 Over time, as players bluff, bargain, and make increasingly dubious trades, trust starts to erode, more and more adverse selection happens — and the game descends into a kind of joyful chaos. — Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 11 Aug. 2026 That joyful, multicultural globalism has only elevated the entertainment. — Jordan Minor, PC Magazine, 11 Aug. 2026 Even our individual writing projects, once joyful and exciting, had become sluggish and uninspired. — Birdie Horne, PEOPLE, 11 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for joyful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for joyful
  1. thankful
  2. delighted
  3. happy
  4. pleased
  5. glad
  6. satisfied
  7. joyous
Adjective
  • The Knicks have one of their toughest stretches of the season rolling right into the holidays, but there’s one thing — aside from a championship, of course — the team can be thankful for.
    — Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • But for now, the family is living inside their bait shop next door, brokenhearted but thankful to be alive.
    — Christopher DeRose, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of thankful
Adjective
  • Ryninks was delighted to have enticed such a high calibre of Welsh talent aboard this small indie.
    — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Many at Madrid’s Valdebebas training ground were closely following the saga and were delighted at the prospect of Rodri’s arrival because of the influence he was expected to have on the dressing room and on the pitch.
    — Mario Cortegana, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of delighted
Adjective
  • Check the offer page to see which hotels are offering the discount—you’ll be happy to see fan favorites like Disney’s Grand Floridian and Disney’s Wilderness Lodge on the list!
    — Hannah Chubb, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Once the shelter tracked down Rio’s owner, Melissa, to share the happy news that her dog was safe, the pet parent immediately booked a flight to Greensboro and reunited with Rio.
    — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of happy
Adjective
  • He’s been pleased to see Willis flourish with fellow third-round pick in the past draft, Caleb Douglas.
    — David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Payton seemed awfully pleased with himself for his lame dad joke.
    — Michael Cunningham, AJC.com, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of pleased
Adjective
  • Senior setter Malley Green, who opened her junior year with injury troubles of her own, is glad to see Mitchell back.
    — Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2026
  • The previous owner was moving toward retirement and was glad to focus on other aspects of his business.
    — The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of glad
Adjective
  • Judd was less satisfied with the execution of the former cop.
    — Natasha Holt, FOXNews.com, 15 Aug. 2026
  • What were some creative challenges that this introduced or satisfied?
    — Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of satisfied
Adjective
  • But those concerns didn’t stop groups of Catholics from joining a recent joyous pilgrimage on Mount Tabor, where the Gospels say Jesus appeared transfigured alongside the Jewish prophets Moses and Elijah.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Now the holidays will be extra joyous with our favorite rolls back on the table.
    — Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of joyous

Browse Nearby Words

joyed
joyful
joyfully
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Joyful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/joyful. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on joyful

Nglish: Translation of joyful for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of prowess

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All