Delight is a feeling of great pleasure and joy, the kind that makes you smile without even thinking about it. When you open a birthday present and find exactly what you hoped for, that warm, excited feeling is delight. When you taste your favorite dessert after weeks without it, or when you discover a perfect climbing tree in a new neighborhood, you experience delight.

The word suggests sparkly, unexpected joy or special pleasure. A good book might make you happy, but a story that makes you laugh out loud and stay up past bedtime reading delights you. A teacher might be pleased when students do their work, but delighted when they show genuine curiosity and excitement about learning.

You can also delight in something, meaning you take special pleasure in it. Someone might delight in solving puzzles, delight in making their friends laugh, or delight in watching thunderstorms. When something delightful happens, it brings this kind of special joy. A delightful surprise, a delightful performance, or a delightful afternoon with friends all share that quality of bringing genuine pleasure that lifts your spirits.