What does rejoice mean?
To rejoice means to experience or express intense happiness, usually because something positive has happened. The word can describe an inward feeling, as when someone rejoices in good fortune, or an outward celebration, as when a community rejoices over a public success. Its strong emotional character makes it especially suitable for formal writing, speeches, literary contexts, and expressions of shared celebration. “Rejoice” is more emphatic and ceremonial than simply “be happy”: it suggests delight intense enough to mark the moment. The phrase “rejoice in” is particularly common, although “rejoice at” and “rejoice over” are also idiomatic. Because the term carries a distinctly positive and often communal tone, it contrasts naturally with words such as “mourn” and “grieve.” Its literary sound also distinguishes it from the plainer expressions “be delighted” and “be thrilled.”
verbTo feel or express great happiness and delight. It can also mean to celebrate or take pleasure in an event or achievement.
- To feel great happiness or delight.
- To celebrate or express joy at an event, achievement, or good news.
"The community rejoiced when the restoration of the historic building was announced."
"She rejoiced in the opportunity to meet her long-lost cousin."
"The supporters rejoiced after their team secured a dramatic victory."
To rejoice is to let happiness become visible: the word means both to feel joy and to celebrate it.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does rejoice come from?
The word comes through Old French from Latin gaudere, “to rejoice,” a verb associated with gaudium, meaning joy or delight. The Latin root also underlies English words including joy, enjoy, and gaudy, although their meanings have developed in different ways. In English, rejoice has long conveyed both the feeling of happiness and the public expression or celebration of it.
Related word forms
How rejoice is actually used
Generally formal or literary in style, though it is understood in everyday English. It often takes a preposition such as “in,” “at,” or “over” before the cause of the joy.