joy

joy — noun

1. a very strong, pleasant feeling that you get from something good or satisfying t

1.名詞A2
釋義

a very strong, pleasant feeling that you get from something good or satisfying that happens to you

例句

Élise felt pure joy when she held her newborn daughter for the first time.

collocation: pure joy

The children's faces were full of joy as they opened their presents on Christmas morning.

collocation: full of joy

同義詞
  • happiness

    a more general, everyday word for feeling good; less intense than joy

  • delight

    a strong feeling of pleasure, often caused by a specific event or surprise

  • bliss

    a state of perfect happiness, stronger and more lasting than joy

反義詞
  • sorrow

    a feeling of deep sadness, the opposite of joy in emotional weight

  • misery

    a state of great suffering or unhappiness

文法句型

joy + of + noun/-ing

joy + at/in + noun/-ing

常見錯誤

❌I felt joyfulness when I saw the view.
✅I felt joy when I saw the view.
💡'joy' is the standard uncountable noun for the feeling; 'joyfulness' is less common and more formal.

2. someone or something that makes you feel very happy and gives you a lot of pleas

2.名詞B1
釋義

someone or something that makes you feel very happy and gives you a lot of pleasure

例句

Imani's garden is her greatest joy — she spends hours there every weekend.

noun phrase: greatest joy

The little girl next door is a joy to have around—she is always laughing.

pattern: be a joy to

同義詞
  • delight

    very similar to this sense of joy; something that gives great pleasure

  • treasure

    something or someone very precious and valued, often with emotional attachment

文法句型

joy + to + noun/-ing

be a joy to + infinitive

用法筆記

In this sense, joy is a countable noun that refers to the specific person or thing that causes happiness, not the feeling itself. It is often preceded by a possessive (her joy, his greatest joy) or by 'a' (a joy to watch).

常見錯誤

❌My dog is joy for me.
✅My dog is a joy to me.' or 'My dog brings me joy.
💡when joy means 'a source of happiness', use the structure 'a joy + to/preposition' or 'brings (someone) joy'.

3. success in getting what you asked for or tried to achieve, especially when you h

3.名詞B2
釋義

success in getting what you asked for or tried to achieve, especially when you have made an effort — used mainly in questions and negative statements

例句

Emre tried to book a flight but got no joy — everything was already sold out.

pattern: got no joy (informal British)

I asked the manager for a refund but had no joy—the policy had changed.

同義詞
  • success

    the standard word for achieving a goal; broader and not restricted to questions and negatives

  • luck

    used similarly in questions ('any luck?'), but refers to chance rather than effort

反義詞
  • failure

    the opposite of success in achieving what was attempted

文法句型

get/have no joy

have any joy

get some joy

用法筆記

This sense is most common in British English in negative contexts ('no joy') or questions ('any joy?'). It is rarely used in positive statements — you would not say 'I had joy finding it'. The subject is usually a person trying to obtain something or get something done.

常見錯誤

❌I had joy completing the project on time.' (positive statement)
✅I managed to complete the project on time.
💡'joy' in this sense is almost never used in positive assertions; use 'no joy' for failure or 'any joy?' in questions.

joy — verb