delight

Everyday

1. Delight is a feeling of great happiness and pleasure. tree →
2. A delight is something or someone that gives great pleasure. tree →
3. (verb) To delight someone is to make them very happy. tree →
4. (verb) To delight in something is to enjoy it very much, sometimes in a mean way. tree →

In the lessons

In stories, delight shows a character's joy: «squealed with delight», «to her delight». Teachers say «a delight to teach» on reports. Turkish delight is a sweet. Common phrases: «to my delight», «squeal with delight», «take delight in», «delight in», «a delight to», «Turkish delight».

Examples

• The children screamed with delight on the roller coaster. tree →
• To my delight, the snow was still there in the morning. tree →
• Your daughter is a delight to have in class. tree →
• The magician delighted the audience with his tricks. tree →
• The puppy delights in chewing shoes. tree →
• The garden was full of summer delights. tree →
• Edmund ate the Turkish delight in the Narnia story. tree →
• We were delighted to win the cup. tree →
• To his delight it seemed thick and stout. tree →

Note

As a feeling, «delight» is uncountable (filled with delight); as a pleasing thing it is countable (the delights of the seaside). The adjective «delighted» means very pleased; «delightful» means very pleasant. Trap: «delighted at/with/by», and «delight in doing».

In Jewish tradition

Here it also means to take pleasure in someone or to favor them.

Interpretation. Tradition reads God's delight in the fathers as the reason Israel was chosen out of love, not because of its size.

Examples

• And the young man deferred not to do the thing, because he had delight in Jacob's daughter. (Torah GEN.34.19, JPS 1917) tree →
• If the LORD delight in us, then He will bring us into this land, and give it unto us — a land which floweth with milk and honey. (Torah NUM.14.8, JPS 1917) tree →
• Only the LORD had a delight in thy fathers to love them, and He chose their seed after them, even you, above all peoples, as it is this day. (Torah DEU.10.15, JPS 1917) tree →
• Yea, Thy testimonies are my delight, they are my counsellors. (Writings PSA.119.24, JPS 1917) tree →
• How fair and how pleasant art thou, O love, for delights! (Writings SNG.7.7, JPS 1917) tree →
• When my cares are many within me, Thy comforts delight my soul. (Writings PSA.94.19, JPS 1917) tree →

Note

As a feeling, «delight» is uncountable (filled with delight); as a pleasing thing it is countable (the delights of the seaside). The adjective «delighted» means very pleased; «delightful» means very pleasant. Trap: «delighted at/with/by», and «delight in doing».