delight
gb/dɪlˈaɪt/ us/dɪlˈaɪt/
B1
Inglés
~ 9400
Acepciones
0 acepciones
Sustantivo
B1
state
1
great pleasure and happiness
A very strong feeling of happiness and pleasure.
Patrón de uso:
to feel [delight] at/about/in [something]
Error frecuente:
Learners sometimes say *'a delight feeling'* or *'a delight emotion'*. Use 'delight' as an uncountable noun for the feeling (e.g. 'I felt great delight'), or use 'a delight' only for a person or thing that gives pleasure (see a different sense).
Sinónimos
joy (Very close in meaning but slightly broader; does not always suggest the intense, special pleasure that 'delight' can.)
|
pleasure (Can be milder and more general, while 'delight' usually suggests stronger, brighter happiness.)
Antónimos
misery (Emphasizes deep unhappiness, the emotional opposite of delight.)
|
displeasure (A polite or mild opposite, focusing on not being pleased.)
Colocaciones
with delight
|to someone's delight
|squeals of delight
|tears of delight
|scream with delight
|jump for delight
Temas
emotions
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
Ejemplos
- The children screamed with delight when they saw the presents.
- To his great delight, his team won in the last minute.
- She watched the fireworks with obvious delight.
- Their faces were full of delight as they tasted the cake.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- The baby laughed with delight when she saw the toy.
- Much to my delight, I passed the exam.
- They shouted in delight when the movie started.
- His eyes showed pure delight when he met the singer.
Verbo
B2
action
2
to make someone very happy
To make someone feel very happy and pleased.
Patrón de uso:
to delight [someone]
Error frecuente:
Learners sometimes say *'I delighted about the news'* when they mean 'I was delighted about the news.' Use 'delight' as a verb with an object ('The news delighted me') or use 'be delighted' as an adjective ('I was delighted').
Sinónimos
please (More common and often weaker; 'delight' suggests stronger, more special happiness.)
|
thrill (Suggests very strong excitement as well as happiness, and can sound more dramatic than 'delight'.)
Antónimos
disappoint (Means to fail to please or satisfy, the opposite of making someone very happy.)
|
upset (Focuses on making someone unhappy or worried, the emotional opposite of delighting them.)
Colocaciones
delight customers
|delight audiences
|delight fans
|delight children
|music that delights
|delight [someone] with [something]
Temas
emotions
|daily life
|social
|communication
Ejemplos
- The singer's performance delighted the audience.
- This news will delight our customers.
- Her cooking never fails to delight her guests.
- The story delighted children and adults alike.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- The gift delighted her.
- The teacher's kind words delighted the students.
- The funny video delighted everyone in the room.
- The new game delighted the children.
Sustantivo
B2
entity
3
person or thing that gives joy
A person or thing that is very enjoyable and makes you feel very happy.
Patrón de uso:
[someone/something] is a delight
Error frecuente:
Learners sometimes say *'I am a delight with the news'* when they mean they feel happy. Use this sense only for a person or thing that gives pleasure to others (e.g. 'She is a delight'), not for your own feeling.
Sinónimos
pleasure (Used similarly in 'a pleasure to meet you', but can sound slightly more formal or polite than 'a delight'.)
|
treat (Informal; suggests something special and enjoyable, often used like 'a real treat'.)
Antónimos
pain (Informal when used of a person ('He's a pain'); suggests someone or something that causes annoyance instead of pleasure.)
|
nightmare (Informal hyperbole for someone or something very unpleasant to deal with, opposite of a 'delight'.)
Colocaciones
a real delight
|an absolute delight
|a delight to watch
|a delight to work with
|a delight to use
|a delight to be around
Temas
emotions
|social
|opinions
|core_vocabulary
Ejemplos
- Your daughter is an absolute delight.
- The book is a delight to read.
- He was a delight to work with on the project.
- The new software is a delight to use.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- Her little boy is a delight.
- This cake is a delight to eat.
- The movie was a delight to watch.
- My new colleague is a delight to work with.
Verbo
C1
action
4
to greatly enjoy something
To enjoy something very much, especially something you often do.
Patrón de uso:
to delight in [something/doing something]
Error frecuente:
Learners sometimes say *'He delights to do it'* instead of 'He delights in doing it.' With this meaning, use 'delight in' followed by a noun or an -ing verb (e.g. 'delight in helping people').
Sinónimos
relish (Suggests slow, deep enjoyment; can sound slightly more formal or literary.)
|
savor (Focuses on taking time to enjoy something fully, often experiences or tastes.)
Antónimos
dread (Means to fear or strongly dislike something you expect to happen, opposite of taking pleasure in it.)
|
hate (Strongly dislike something instead of enjoying it.)
Colocaciones
delight in [doing something]
|delight in the details
|delight in telling stories
|delight in teasing [someone]
|positively delight in [something]
Temas
emotions
|habits
|character
|core_vocabulary
Ejemplos
- He seems to delight in proving people wrong.
- She delights in sharing stories from her travels.
- Some journalists clearly delight in asking difficult questions.
- The author delights in playing with language and structure.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- She delights in cooking for her friends.
- He delights in learning new languages.
- The boy delights in making people laugh.
- They delight in talking about old times.
Gramática
Forma de diccionario
delight
AFI
GB/dɪlˈaɪt/
US/dɪlˈaɪt/
Sílabas y acento
de - light (2 sílabas)
Stress on 2nd syllable (light)
Formas de la palabra
Noun
- Base: delight
- Plural: delight, delights
Verb
- Base: delight
- 3rd Person Singular: delights
- Present Participle: delighting
- Past: delighted
Familia de palabras
Forms
delights
noun
delighting
verb
delighted
verb
Core family
delightful
adjective B1
Related words
delightfully
adverb
Expresiones
a delight to behold
1/ə dɪlˈaɪt tə bɪhˈoʊld/
idiom
literary
very beautiful or pleasing to see
Used to say that something is very beautiful or very nice to look at.
Ejemplos
- The garden in full bloom is a delight to behold.
- Her dance performance was a delight to behold.
- From the top of the hill, the city at night was a delight to behold.
an absolute delight
1/ən ˈæbsəlˌut dɪlˈaɪt/
fixed phrase
someone or something extremely delightful
A very strong way to say that a person or thing is extremely enjoyable and makes you very happy.
Ejemplos
- Your mother is an absolute delight.
- The concert was an absolute delight from start to finish.
- Their new book is an absolute delight for mystery fans.
be a delight to [verb]
1/bˈi ə dɪlˈaɪt tə vˈɚb/
fixed phrase
very pleasant to do something with
Used to praise someone or something as very pleasant or enjoyable to do an action with (for example, work with or watch).
Ejemplos
- She is a delight to work with.
- The new software is a delight to use.
- The team is a delight to watch this season.
delight in
1/dɪlˈaɪt ˈɪn/
phrasal verb
to greatly enjoy (often habitually)
To enjoy something or enjoy doing something very much, often as something you do again and again.
Ejemplos
- She clearly delights in teaching young children.
- He delights in finding small mistakes in reports.
- The writer delights in surprising the reader.
scream with delight
1/skɹˈim wˈɪθ dɪlˈaɪt/
fixed phrase
make a loud happy sound
To make a very loud sound or shout because you feel very happy and excited.
Ejemplos
- The crowd screamed with delight when the goal was scored.
- She screamed with delight when she opened the letter.
- The kids screamed with delight as the fireworks went off.
take delight in
1/tˈeɪk dɪlˈaɪt ˈɪn/
fixed phrase
greatly enjoy doing something
To enjoy doing something very much, often regularly.
Ejemplos
- She takes delight in helping new employees settle in.
- He takes delight in cooking big meals for his family.
- Some people take delight in solving very hard puzzles.
to the delight of [someone]
1/tə ðə dɪlˈaɪt əv sˈʌmwˌʌn/
fixed phrase
causing someone great pleasure
Used to say that something makes a person or group feel very happy and pleased.
Ejemplos
- To the delight of the students, the exam was canceled.
- The team scored in the last minute, to the delight of their fans.
- The company announced extra holidays, much to the delight of its employees.
squeal with delight
1/skwˈil wˈɪθ dɪlˈaɪt/
fixed phrase
Make a joyful high-pitched sound
To make a long, high sound because you are very happy or excited.
Ejemplos
- The children squealed with delight when they saw the ice cream truck.
- The children squealed with delight when they saw the puppies.
- She squealed with delight at the surprise gift.
- She squealed with delight as the roller coaster started.
- Fans squealed with delight when the band came on stage.