Gladness
n.joyful, hopefulliterary
What it means
A sincere, often gentle feeling of happiness and relief.
Reach for it when naming warm happiness in reflective, personal, or literary language
Gladness filled the station when the delayed train arrived safely.
Choose between these
6- playful
visible good spirits animate a group or season
not when Cheer is outward and social, while gladness may remain private.
- everyday
the broad familiar emotion is all you need
not when Happiness can be lasting or mild and lacks gladness's reflective warmth.
- warm
pleasure is bright and sparked by something particular
not when Delight suggests surprise or charm more than relief.
- warm
the feeling is deep, vivid, or personally meaningful
not when Joy may be too strong for quiet satisfaction at a welcome result.
- professional
settled satisfaction rather than excitement is central
not when Contentment is calmer and less responsive to a specific happy event.
- formal
measured enjoyment or satisfaction suits a polite context
not when Pleasure is cooler and can sound impersonal in an intimate tribute.
Said against
3- sadness
- sorrow
- misery
It naturally appears in
3- great gladness
The scholarship announcement brought great gladness to both families.
- sense of gladness
A sense of gladness returned as familiar shops reopened.
- filled with gladness
The choir was filled with gladness when its founder entered the hall.
The word family
2Where this comes from
- Wiktionary, English noun sense: state or feeling of being glad opens in a new tab · retrieved 2026-07-26
The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.