App logo

gleeful

/ˈɡliːfəl/adjective

Full of open, excited delight, often at a victory or someone else's misfortune.

Example sentence

  • The children let out gleeful shouts when school was canceled for snow.

Watch the edge: gleeful delight often comes at someone's expense, which is why reports speak of gleeful mockery. 'Joyful' is the innocent alternative.

Featured as word of the day on March 9, 2026.

Related words