delight
/dɪˈlaɪt/
verbnoun
Common
1.v.give pleasure to or be pleasing to
“These colors please the senses”
2.v.take delight in
“he delights in his granddaughter”
3.v.hold spellbound
Loading page
delight and pleasure share a recorded sense, so the question is not what they mean but which one fits. delight means “give pleasure to or be pleasing to”. pleasure means “a fundamental feeling that is hard to define but that people desire to experience”. pleasure is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/dɪˈlaɪt/
1.v.give pleasure to or be pleasing to
“These colors please the senses”
2.v.take delight in
“he delights in his granddaughter”
3.v.hold spellbound
/ˈplɛʒɚ/
1.n.a fundamental feeling that is hard to define but that people desire to experience
“he was tingling with pleasure”
2.n.something or someone that provides a source of happiness
“a joy to behold”
3.n.a formal expression
“he serves at the pleasure of the President”
| delight | pleasure | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /dɪˈlaɪt/ | /ˈplɛʒɚ/ |
| Said | di-LAHYT | PLEZH-ur |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Letters | 7 | 8 |
| Parts of speech | verb, noun | noun |
| Senses | 5 | 5 |
| How common | Common | Core |
| Synonyms | please | pleasance |
Full entry for delight · Full entry for pleasure · More comparisons