overjoy
overjoy Lexical Profile
overjoy Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To cause someone to feel great or overwhelming joy and delight (usually used in the passive voice).
"The scholarship committee's generous offer will surely overjoy the aspiring medical student."
• noun
Excessive or overwhelming joy; transport of delight or ecstasy (now rare or archaic).
"The sudden reunion brought a sense of overjoy that left the entire family speechless."
Word Nuance & Usage
In modern English, the verb 'overjoy' is used almost exclusively in the passive voice or as the participial adjective 'overjoyed' (e.g., 'She was overjoyed by the news'), while active transitive constructions are rare.
• Rhymes for overjoy
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed in Middle English during the 14th century by combining the native prefix 'over-' (excessively) with 'joy', which entered English via Old French 'joie' from Latin 'gaudia', plural of 'gaudium' (inward joy, delight).