Meaning & use
overjoyed
Last updated
UK/ˌəʊvəˈdʒɔɪd/
US/ˌoʊvɚˈdʒɔɪd/
Meaning
adjectivenot comparable
Filled with great happiness, often because of good news.
Grammar: Usually follows be or feel and is followed by at, by or about: she was overjoyed at the news.
Patterns
- be overjoyed at something
- be overjoyed to do something
- be overjoyed that something happens
They were overjoyed at the news of the baby.
She was overjoyed to see her old friends again.
We are overjoyed that you could come.
Common combinations
- overjoyed at
- He was overjoyed at his exam results.
- overjoyed to see
- She was overjoyed to see her dog again.
- absolutely overjoyed
- The family was absolutely overjoyed.
- overjoyed by
- Fans were overjoyed by the win.
- feel overjoyed
- I felt overjoyed when the plane landed.
Synonyms and how they differ
- delighted
- Delighted is a bit less intense and is used often in polite speech, while overjoyed suggests stronger emotion.
- thrilled
- Thrilled stresses excitement, whereas overjoyed stresses deep happiness.
- ecstatic
- Ecstatic is even stronger and suggests wild happiness.
- elated
- Elated suggests a high mood after success, while overjoyed can be about any good news.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: overjoyed or overjoy?
overjoyed vs overjoy
Overjoy is a rare verb, but the adjective overjoyed is much more common.
Practice
The family was ___ to hear that their lost cat had been found.
Choose one answer.
Overjoyed to hear means extremely happy about the news. Overtired and overdue do not describe happiness, and overcome by needs a different structure.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “overjoyed”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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